Journey to Cinnabar Island
by Smash King24
Summary: Rumors about strange men dressed in black being seen roaming the Kanto side. An unlikely hero makes the ultimate choice by traveling around the region to save the woman he cares about. The friends he meets on the way may end up becoming his worst enemies.
1. Settlement

Journey to Cinnabar Island

**Author's Note:** This is my first attempt at a Pokemon fic. I'm not a crazy Pokemaniac like most of the authors who post these kind of fics, but I am a real long-time fan of the old series (you know, Red and Blue? Aw, nevermind). I never really got into the new Pokemon games, but Pearl is fun to play every now and again. I have a lot of respect for the first generation, so I'm writing this story for any first gen fans like me, as well as those of you who can remember the classic days of Nintendo's world domination plan (incidentally, I found an article from 1997 about how Pikachu took over the whitehouse. Don't know how that turned out). Anyway, just to remind you, this is my first Pokefic so go easy on me in your reviews. Thanks a lot!

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Chapter 1: Settlement

Thomas had never been known as the adventurous type; he usually spent his leisure time tinkering with his computer. It was probably the only fun thing to do in the town of Pallet.

He and his mother had moved to this quiet rural area in order to keep close connections with Thomas' father who worked at the Silph Corporation. He was one of the head members at the company, developing new technologies and gadgets for eager and young Pokemon Trainers. Thomas always knew him to be headstrong and a bit of an egocentric, but all around, his father was a caring and generous guy. Periodically, it would cause Tom to wonder why he had left his mother in the first place, especially since she was suffering from a strange illness.

Day in and day out, Thomas would have to run downstairs to fetch his mother a hot cup of tea, where he would there after return to his room and get to work on his homework or PC.

Indeed, he was surprised he even had time for school because of his duties. It's not like he hated school, but classes did get rather boring when the academic population lingered below 35 students total. All the students who had gone to school had moved on to explore Kanto, fulfilling their training journey like all the other young dreamers. But not, Thomas, no. Thomas had no time for Pokemon at all.

Even though Professor Oak had encouraged him to try out, Thomas would still refuse.

"You're an interesting case," said Oak as he crossed his arms and glanced at the three Pokeballs lying on the table. "Most kids your age would give anything to go on Trainer's Leave, but you're passing up the opportunity like it's a waste of time."

Thomas sighed and turned around to read the large books organized on the shelf.

"With all do respect, sir, I'm 15. I missed my calling 5 years ago. Even if I did have a dream to run around the world and chase after Pokemon, there's no way I could do it now, not when I've already got a grade-A education," replied the pale boy, trying to take control of the situation. "My mother is still sick. I'm sorry, but to me, there are more important things in life than Pokemon."

The professor gave a small chuckle at his response. Pokemon Training was a not just a hobby, but a sport in the Kanto region. Of course, you would get the occasional football fans, but besides that, Pokemon battles were all the rage.

"I understand, son, but it should not be your fault to deal with. Your father should be the one taking after your mother," said Oak as he picked up one of the Pokeballs and tossed it up and down in the air.

Thomas still kept his sharp eyes focused on the books, skimming through the titles.

"I will not drag my father into this mess. It is because of him that we have been living so fortunately these past few months. I owe my life to him. I'm going to be just like him one day. I'm going to leave my mark on the world, so that everyone will remember me," responded Thomas. He slowly turned his head to the side, giving Oak a menacing glare. "And if I can influence the life of just ONE person, then I can truly say that there was some meaning to my life. Pokemon Training is a waste of time, effort and money; it's no different from gambling. I'll decide what I want to do with my life, thank you very much. Good day."

With that, Tom stormed out of the laboratory, leaving a shocked professor in the dust. He was surprised that the boy could speak to an adult so seriously, so maturely. Tom didn't even take into account the fact that Oak's entire life had been dedicated to the research of Pokemon species. Truly, his last words must have been an insult.

Thomas walked out into the sunlight pensively, absorbing the rays as they warmed up his body after that cold conversation. He really didn't mean to be so disrespectful to an elder, but he just wanted to make his point clear. All in all, Tom was a friendly guy, that is, if you stayed on his good side. But it was also a truth that he had no real interest in Pokemon at all.

His father was a successful businessman, making a ton of cash every week; that was the kind of life he wished for. In a few years, Tom was hoping his father would reserve him a spot at Silph. He had heard rumors about the company opening up a laboratory on Cinnabar Island, a lab where scientists would attempt to revitalize Pokemon that had been extinct for thousands of years. A feat like that would be truly incredible, but then again, it was just a rumor. Thomas and his father could only make contact via e-mail, but it was no easy task communicating with each other because his father only had a few minutes to reply to his messages. Not only that, but the head of the board wiped his inbox of everything that was in it every 12 hours to halt hackers from leaking any information out of the company. Although there was a home phone, Tom rarely ever used it because his father was not allowed to give out his phone number to anyone, not even his own family.

This sort of situation made Silph seem as suspicious as Team Rocket, but they only focused on 'big' deals, like poaching rare and valuable Pokemon to sell on the black market; Team Rocket was more of a cult than an actual business. Tom never had to worry about them though because he planned on staying in Pallet Town, a town so small that it could barely be seen from satellite. Team Rocket would never have any need to go there. Then again if they somehow got their hands on a certain boy whose father worked for Silph Corperation, well that would be another story entirely...

"Mom! I'm home!"

Tom shut the front door gently behind him as he took off his light jacket and hung it on the nearby coat rack. His mother was resting on the sofa in the living room, the same state he had left her in this morning.

"Oh, hi Tommy," she said, her voice cracking a bit. "Why are you home from school so late?"

"I had to stop off at the lab to pick up some medicine," he replied as he set a capsule of pills down on the table. "I saw Professor Oak, too. I told him you said hi."

"Oh, Professor Oak. Such a nice man. I hope you were minding your manners. Men who go through as much stress as he does on a daily basis are known to be cranky."

"Don't worry, I did. Did you need me to get you anything?"

"Um, could you find the remote for me? I seemed to have misplaced it. Oh, and could you get me a cup of tea?"

"The remotes behind your head, mom."

Mrs. Weston pulled her scrawny arm behind her head to find the TV remote on the head rest.

"Oh, thank you, Tom," she said as she pressed the power button.

"Heh. No problem."

Thomas then scurried off to the kitchen to get his mother her beverage.

In all honesty, Thomas didn't mind serving his mother at all. He wasn't quite sure of the reason why, but he figured it had something to do with himself making something out of his life. He didn't have a job, he barely had any hobbies, and his friends at school were either too busy fantasizing about Pokemon journeys or working to hang out.

Tom wasn't an unpopular kid at his school, considering the population of 35, but he tried to spend most of his time alone so he could study. Once, a girl actually had openly admitted in front of his face that she had a crush on him. Tom's reaction to this was rather mediocre as well as a bit flattered, but he wasn't ready for any kind of commitment. It's not that he didn't want to have a girlfriend, or that he didn't want to have any friends at all, but Thomas Weston found solitude in the sanctity of his room.

Take a tour around any teen's bedroom in Pallet Town, and you will instantly notice various posters, toys, accessories, decorations, and even furniture that relate to Pokemon. Take a tour around Tom's room, however, and you may not be quite as astounded. To put it frank, his room lacked the enthusiasm of any striving Pokemaniac, so let's just leave it at that.

As soon as he poured the last dropped of boiled water into the mug, Tom proceeded back out into the living room where his mother was watching a live battle at the Indigo Plateau. The television screen portrayed a Rhydon and a Charizard locked in combat, attempting to throw the other one down with brute force. The announcer was shouting his lungs out, but the volume was turned down.

"Thanks dear," said Mother as she graciously accepted the hot cup from Tom's hands.

"You're welcome. Do you need anything else?"

His mother coughed a bit before replying.

"Ahem... sorry. No thank you, Tom, I'm fine. Better go upstairs and finish your homework."

"Actually, I didn't need to bring any of my books home today. This is like the first time I've never had homework."

"Ah, but if I know you, you'll find something to busy yourself with."

"Heh heh. Too true."

With a loving kiss on the forehead, Thomas ran to the stairs and headed to his room, shutting the door behind him in a quiet manner; he never had a need to lock his door like most teens because his mother never bothered to intrude on his privacy. Immediately, he dashed to his desk in the corner of the room and turned on his computer. While he waited for it to boot up, the boy opened up the top drawer of his desk. He shuffled through a series of paper, pencils and pens to find a small box located at the bottom. Carefully, he pulled out the leather case and opened it, revealing a very small, pin-like object. As his PC booted to the desktop, Tom grabbed a pair of tweezers off his desk and cautiously removed the white pin from the box, where he then slowly placed it on the microscope slide next to him. After some quick analyzing through the lens, the boy opened up the internet browser and started searching.

"You have 0 new messages!" said the friendly female computerized voice.

"What a surprise..." replied Tom sarcastically.

The pin shaped object before him was a gift from his father 10 years ago. His father had claimed that it was a fossil from a "rare and ancient Pokemon," one that could heal any sickness known to mankind. A Pokemon like that sure would come in handy. However, if this truly was a valuable fossil, there was no way his father would give it to him without showing it to the company first. It was only natural for Tom to assume that his father had no idea of the potential this fossil actually possessed. He solely believed that the fossil was real, and he was going to do everything in his power to extract the life form data from it. Of course, this operation would have been much easier if he just gave the fossil to Silph, but he didn't want them hogging it all to themselves and making money off of it. No, if Thomas was going to leave his mark on the world, this was the way he was going to do it.

Periodically, Thomas would scroll through the pages of Google and then quickly switch to his microscope, attempting to figure out if there was any other fortunate soul who had stumbled upon the same relic as he. Sadly, not a single person on the web seemed to know anything. Forums were no help either because most discussions related to his question would end up being just more rumors about the lab on Cinnabar Island.

Tom wished he knew where the island was; he wasn't quite familiar with the geography of this region because he was born in Johto. He knew that Cinnabar was precisely south of Pallet Town, across the water, but swimming there would be suicide. If there really was a lab there that specialized in Pokemon fossils, then maybe the scientists would be able to extract the data out of his artifact, assuming the pin was a fossil.

Through the lens of the microscope, Tom could see thick wavy lines in the shape of zig-zags, but no movement at all. On the outside, the pin didn't look like anything special, which was what his analyzations showed. However, he refused to believe that this needle shaped fossil was just a stone sliver.

"You may look like a regular pin, but I know your secret. Don't think you can keep it bottled up from me forever," muttered the boy as he adjusted the lens a second time.

It is interesting to note that whenever Tom finds himself in deep thought, he has the peculiar habit of talking to himself. It gives him the impression that there is someone else in the room, someone who can relate to his problems, as well as possibly provide a solution. It was heavy leveled thinking such as this that caused the boy to become lost within the bowels of his very mind; he ignored all objects and people around him. Snapping him back into reality could only be accomplished by a loud sound or physical touch.

"Ping! You have 1 new message!" said the female computer voice happily.

Tom's head shot up at the sound of his PC, causing him to scramble with the tweezers in his hand, nearly shattering the poor fossil to bits. Once he regained control of his nerves, he opened up the new message; it was from his father:

_From Robert Weston_

_Subject: Cinnabar Island_

_Hey Tommy! How are you doing? Is Mom doing okay? Listen, I don't have much time right now, but I have some information that I'm sure you're dying to hear about. You've heard the rumors about Silph opening a new lab at Cinnabar right? Well guess what? They are! The building is going to be state-of-the-art, with new technology that we're developing over here in Saffron City. But the most significant feature, which is what I know you want to hear, is how specialized scientists are actually going to have the technology to bring back Pokemon from thousands of years ago! That's right! It's a revolutionary breakthrough for mankind! Anyway, the reason why I'm telling you this is because I know archaeology and reanimation interests you. Although there is a large entry fee in order to get in, you should be able to enter just fine if you give them your identity. So don't be shy if you want to go check out the place yourself! Oh, and you don't have to worry about someone stealing our technology. As you know, Silph has the most advanced security system than any other company in Kanto. So no worries about Team Rocket._

_When you go, be sure to take some pictures of the place. I'd go myself but I'm pretty much glued to my office chair. Don't let me take away a part of your experiences, boy! Take care! Love you!_

Thomas' eyes crept slowly across the screen, followed by a quick skim of the entire page. It turned out that Thomas was one of the very few people outside of Silph who knew of the building's development. Not that that was a bad thing, but it did give the boy some advantages. For example, if he had the resources, he could scoot down to the island and get his fossil checked, thereby beating the mad crowd that made up the rest of the Kanto population. Then again, if his fossil did prove to be valuable, what's to keep Silph from stealing the information to themselves? No, the safest route to take would have to be to befriend someone in the laboratory, someone who could be trusted by the other employees.

But this was just a rough sketch of Thomas' plan; it's not like he was really going to travel across the sea by himself.

It was situations like these that made him wish he was a Pokemon Trainer.

The boy gave out a small laugh and fell backwards onto his bed. He combed his dark hair back with his hand staring at the white ceiling. He felt the need to drift off into dream land, but forced himself to stay awake; to sleep during the day is to waste precious, precious time.

He reached over to the wireless phone on his night stand and quickly punched in some numbers; he decided it was time to call up his trusted friend, Pete.

"Hello?" asked a low male voice after the third ring.

Tom's face lit up as he heard the scientist's voice.

"Hi, Pete. It's me, Tom. How are you doing?"

"Oh Tommy! I didn't realize it was you! Wow, your voice sure has changed over the past year. You sure are growing up fast!"

"Thank you."

"So, what's new?"

"Listen. My dad just sent me an e-mail. He said that Silph was opening up a laboratory on Cinnabar Island. Tell me, is the whole company aware of this?"

"Um. No, I don't think so. Since I'm one of the head researchers here, I knew about that months ago. Hell, I even helped to come up with the blue prints for the building!"

"Oh good. Does that mean you're going to be working there?"

There was a brief pause here, causing Tom to entertain himself by watching the Pidgeys fluttering around outside.

"You bet I'll be working there, kid. This stuff is like second nature to me," said Pete.

"In that case, do you think you could maybe keep a spot for me? I have a fossil in my possession right now. If this lab is everything like my father told me, you will be able to reanimate and revitalize ancient Pokemon from the past."

Pete gave an impressive whistle.

"Oh man, you're dad didn't leave out a single detail did he?"

"Nope, I guess not."

"Anyway, sure. I'll be more than happy to reserve a spot for you. Tell you what: I'll put your name at the top of the list! That way you can stop by as soon as the place opens up to the public!"

"Heh heh. That sounds great. Thanks a lot, Pete."

"Hey, it's what I do. I make people happy, know what I'm saying?"

"I thought you studied Ground Pokemon."

"Ah... I consider it more of a part-time job."

Thomas chuckled at his joke.

"Ha ha. Alright, whatever. Thanks a-"

"Tommy! Could you come down here for a second?" called Mrs. Weston from downstairs.

Tom sat up on his bed and looked to the door.

"Sorry, Pete, but I have to go now. I really hate to ask a favor and not give anything in return," said Tom quickly into the phone.

"Hey no worries, man. You'll actually be doing us a favor by letting us test your fossil. But I've kept ya long enough. Take care kid. And say hi to your mom for me!"

"Will do. Good-bye."

"Bye."

With that, the boy placed the phone back in the cradle and dashed out the door and to the living room. Unsurprisingly, his mother was still sitting on the sofa. However, instead of watching an epic Pokemon match, she was now watching a black and white screen of static.

"Oh, Tom, could you fix the TV for me?" she asked with a weak cough.

Tom went over and examined the screen.

"What happened?" he asked. "Did you hit a button on the remote?"

"No, I didn't touch anything. It was fine a few minutes ago, but then the screen went blank and now there's that static," she replied, gesturing to the remote on the coffee table.

Tom sighed as he started flipping through channels. Each screen bore the same annoying black and white pattern; the boy was beginning to think the television was busted.

"Wait a second. Let me jut check the back," said Tom as he got up and attempted to squeeze his thin body around the back of the box.

His mother watched patiently.

"Be careful not to get electrocuted," she said worriedly.

She really didn't have to worry so much. Tom dealt with computers and electrical components all the time; he knew that rubber was resistant to electricity.

Tom peaked behind the TV. He tried juggling the cables around in hopes that it would bring the picture back, but sadly, nothing happened. He got up and took a step back to where his mother was as they both stared at the dead screen.

"Sorry, mom, but I don't know what the problem is. The antenna is working just fine and the channels are all okay," he said.

"Oh don't worry about it, Tom. I should get back to my sewing anyways. That quilt isn't going to finish itself," she replied positively.

Tom smiled at her enthusiasm, but he was still puzzled as to why the TV ceased to function. His questions were soon answered when the screen started emit some sort of eerie noise. It sounded like a malicious laugh, like the kind one would see in movies or anime. The boy and his mother stared at the black and white box.

"What is that?" she asked, almost certain that Tom heard the exact same thing too.

Tom's eyes were focused on the screen.

"I... I'm not sure."

Cautiously, Tom approached the television. The laughter started to get louder as he edged closer and closer to the screen. This certainly was a strange happening.

"Be careful, dear."

"There's nothing to worry about. I think the picture's coming back in."

Coincidentally, the opposite of what Tom had said took place; the TV shut off. He got at the same level as the screen and stared into the void of blackness.

"That was weird," he started.

Suddenly, something jumped out of the screen and rammed right into Tom's head, knocking him to the floor. The black ball that collided with him sprang up and flew around the ceiling in a circle. Mrs. Weston screamed.

"Ah! Tom are you okay!?" she cried, attempting to get up but with difficulty.

Thomas quickly jumped to his feet and felt the bruise on his forehead.

"Mom, stay down! Something hit me!" he said as he winced at the pain.

The television was in fine condition, but the evil laughing was now filling the room. The black sphere that had jumped out of the screen was still floating around on the ceiling.

"What is that thing?" asked Tom's mother as she sat back down, pointing to the ball up high.

Tom didn't respond, but somehow he knew that round object was dangerous. Hastily, the boy jumped up on the coffee table and leaped towards the ceiling arms outstretched. He swiped at the ball in mid-air, narrowly missing it. He crashed down onto the carpeted floor, grunting in pain.

"Dammit..." he muttered under his breath.

There was no doubt in his mind now that the laughing was coming from the dark sphere. It seemed to be mocking his feeble attempts at stopping it. The ball stopped spinning on the ceiling and quickly dive bombed the boy on the floor. Tom rolled out of the way just in time, causing the ball to ram into a tall lamp, knocking it over instantly. The ball lost control of itself and began crashing through the room, taking down pictures, book shelves, furniture and curtains. The laughing had turned into moans of pain. Tom got up and began chasing the thing all around his living room, running over any of the fallen objects.

"Thomas be careful!"

"I've got to stop this thing!"

Tom clawed and swiped at the ball when it was in arm's reach, but he couldn't touch it. His hands were going right through the object.

The ball bounced and bounded across the room, creating dents in the walls and holes in the ceiling. The living room was now becoming a war room.

"Someone help us!" cried Mrs. Weston.

Almost immediately, someone kicked open the front door and threw a Pokeball into the room.

"Alakazam use Psychic now!" ordered the familiar voice.

The Pokeball revealed a yellow mustached Pokemon with two spoons in its hands.

"Kazam!" shouted the creature as it bent its spoons with its mind.

The black ball instantly froze on the spot, causing Tom to trip over it and land on his face.

"Ugh! What happened?" he asked as he got to his feet and rubbed his bruises.

Professor Oak walked into the room and put a hand on the shoulder of his Alakazam.

"I could hear yelling and crashing coming from in here. I was starting to worry," he said as Alakazam used its Psychic to bring the black ball over to the professor.

Tom ran over to him and dusted himself off.

"What is that thing?" he asked seriously, panting hard.

The ball tried hard to break free from Alakazam's magic, but the high level Pokemon was too powerful.

Oak rubbed his chin as he responded.

"I have a feeling I know what it is, but you'll have to come by the lab later if you want to find out. Are you both okay?"

Tom looked over at his mother who was still sitting on the sofa. Surprisingly, she was perfectly fine, although a bit shaken up.

"I'm alright, professor," she said. "Can you please tell us what happened?"

"I should be asking you that question."

Tom hesitated, but decided to reply for her.

"I... I don't really know what happened. That thing just jumped out of the TV and hit me. It was laughing like crazy too. Is it a Pokemon?"

Oak closed his eyes with a nod and then opened them.

"More than likely. But like I said, if you want to find the culprit behind the destruction of your house, then you will have to come by the lab later on. I'm going to take this specimen away, if that's okay with you."

"That's perfectly fine with me."

"Okay. Then see to it that your mother is alright. Good day."

With that, Professor Oak walked out of the room, his Alakazam following closely behind, along with the black ball that was in a trance. Tom watched them leave through the front door before running back to embrace his mother.

"Are you okay, mom?" he asked.

"Yes," she coughed. "Yes, I'm fine. But what about you? You look hurt."

"Oh, it's a just a few scratches. Nothing to worry about." Pause. "Mom, I'm going to go wash up. Then I'll clean up this mess. You don't have to do anything, you just stay right here."

"I'll help you-"

"No mom. You stay here. Leave everything to me. I'll take care of you."

"Thomas..."

They hugged again, tighter this time, before Tommy ran upstairs to clean his face. He disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door.

-

**Author's Note:** Please review. Tell me what you think so far. ;)


	2. Restitution

Journey to Cinnabar Island

**Author's Note:** Thank you to Chris000 and SG-Kai for reviewing.

-

Chapter 2: Restitution

_From Thomas Weston_

_Subject: Re: Cinnabar Island_

_Thanks for the info, dad. I'll be sure to go down there and take a look at the new building. Pete told me that he would hook me up with a VIP pass to the main entrance. I'm so excited for the grand opening, I can barely wait!_

_Oh, and mom's doing fine right now. I think she may be recovering at a faster rate than normal. It must be the new environment she's been put in. Pallet Town is a great place to live. Although it's relatively small, the air around here is very clean because of the overgrowth of plant life. There is a scenic view of the sea behind our house; sometimes I find myself staring out into the distance on summer nights, right when the sun is setting on the horizon. The townspeople are very friendly, and I even got to meet one of the greatest minds in the world, Professor Oak. I've made a lot of new friends at my school, and my studies have improved over the past year. Thank you so much for getting us a place here in Kanto. I think this change is a great experience for both mom and I! I love you!_

Tom read over the finished e-mail and sent it to his father's inbox. He was debating whether or not he should have told Dad about the incident with the television. Thomas' father has always been known as the business type of man, a guy who doesn't take the time to listen unless it helps put bread on the table. Family and crisis' were an exception, but just how important was a black ball tearing apart a living room? If Tom couldn't describe the situation, there was no way his dad would be able to come up with an answer without telling his son that he was crazy. So as a result, Tom let the issue slide; he hoped that Professor Oak would be able to explain everything.

Being an only child, Thomas found all his entertainment in himself, whether it be playing video games, reading, tinkering or anything. Rarely did he ever wonder what his life would have been like if he had a sibling. No doubt, things would be a lot more hectic than they were now. He was always thankful that he had loving parents. The only thing about his parents that he shames them for is splitting up in the first place.

Back in Johto, his parents pampered Tom all throughout his infant years. When they officially divorced when he was 6, he learned to become more independent in himself. Of the seven days of the week, four of them had to be spent with his mother; respectively, the remaining three days were to his father. And travel wasn't easy when his parents lived in two separate cities. It wasn't until Robert Weston had told his wife that he was getting a job with Silph that she had suddenly come down with a strange sickness. Not even the educated doctors of Goldenrod could figure out what was wrong with her; their advice was for her to move out to the country and get away from the polluted urban areas. This plan seemed smart because of Robert's new position at Silph, but what was to become of Thomas? The family decided to leave the Jotho region and move to Pallet Town on Kanto's west side. Mr. Weston thereafter would stay in touch with his beloved family and continue to support them financially in anyway possible. This drastic change in lifestyle is what started Thomas on his mission to become a successful businessman like his father.

"And if things keep going at this rate, I'll get the job I've strived for," said Tom confidently as he leaned back in his chair and stretched. "But at the expense of my success, I'm afraid mom will..."

He sat up straight and stared at his computer monitor, which partly blinded him from the high resolution of the screen. In that last e-mail he sent to his father, Thomas had lied; his Mom was not recovering. No, in fact, the opposite of what he had typed in the message was happening; Tom's mother was dying.

2 hours after the black ball incident had passed. Thomas spent the majority of that time cleaning up the living room, as well as tending to Mrs. Weston and her condition. The whole time had kept his mind entertained by asking himself the constant question: "What was that thing? What was that thing?" Unsurprisingly, he never got an answer. Tom always tried to follow the cold hard facts; he believed that if it wasn't science, it was fiction, and therefore unimportant. But for some reason, not even science could explain the great phenomenon that was the mystery of the Pokemon species. There were some creatures in this world that could defy the laws of physics in ways unimaginable.

Perhaps this was part of the reason why Tom disliked Pokemon; they didn't seem real to him.

And it wasn't like he thought that Pokemon Training really was a waste of time. Anyone could agree that a job that pays high with little work is any man's dream. Masters were paid millions upon millions year round, and all they had to do was win a few battles in a stadium and look pretty. But did they contribute at all to the betterment of mankind? Did they invent new technologies for humans or discover new ways to revitalize ancient Pokemon? Truthfully, Tom wanted to make something out of his life.

"And like I said before, if I can influence the life of just one person, then I can truly say that there was some meaning to my life. Yeah, take that Professor Oak!"

Thomas had seen all the kids. Thomas had heard all the stories. 10 year old children eager to leave home in order to live the dream of becoming The Pokemon Master. Traveling with partners around the region defeating Gym Leaders in order to obtain the eight badges which grants entrance into the Pokemon League. And then from there, young Trainers must undergo the ultimate test of their Pokemon's loyalty by venturing through the ominous Victory Road, where thereafter they would be challenged by the Elite Four and the ultimate Master.

Through Tom's eyes, that looked like a giant fairy tale.

He gives his respects to every child who returns home empty handed.

"Studying. Adventure. Research. Exploration. Discovery. Journeymen. Cinnabar Island..."

Tom glanced down at the fossil still on the microscope lens. It lay inanimate, but from a certain angle, the white color appeared to be glowing. Thomas reached for his tweezers and gently lifted the pin up in between his blue eyes.

"You, my friend, are the key to my success," he said to the fossil, as if it were another person in the room. "Don't give me that look, I know what you're hiding. Why don't we start by finding out what species of Pokemon you are?"

The toothpick of a fossil stared back at him unimpressed, as if it were judging his intelligence as a researcher.

"Don't feel like talking? That's a shame. It really is. Good thing they've got that lab opening up on Cinnabar. Oh yes, those men with the white gloves are going to find out what you REALLY are. Of course, you could always skip out on that trip if you would just tell my what Pokemon you are."

More silence. If the fossil had eyes, it would have been rolling them. Thomas pouted and placed the treasure back in the box, sealing it into the darkness.

"Fine, be that way. I'll get that data one way or another, mark my words."

The dark haired boy sat there patiently before turning to the clock; it was just after 5:30. It was time to leave for Oak's laboratory. Thomas quickly shut down his PC and exited out the door.

"Mom, I'm going to stop by Professor Oaks. He said he was going to show me what that black sphere was," he said as he grabbed his jacket and shoes.

His mother made no reply.

Tom's eyes went wide upon hearing the sound of silence. Immediately, he ran to the living room, but sighed with relief when he found her sleeping on the couch; she was snoring. With a kiss on the cheek, Tom said good-bye and bolted out the door.

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"Oh good, you made it," greeted Professor Oak as he opened the metallic door for the boy.

Tom nodded his head with a reply.

"Of course I made it," he replied rudely. "Now where is it?"

The professor examined him from head to toe really quickly before saying, "Take off that jacket."

Tom blinked before complying with the elder; he hung his black coat up on the rack.

"So where is it?" asked Tom again, impatiently.

Oak ignored his poor manners. He understood that the boy was in a rush to hurry home to his mother, so he made no offensive move towards him at all.

"Right this way," said the professor as he gestured for Tom to follow him across the room.

Tom walked past a large collection of bookshelves and computer equipment before stopping in front of another scientist.

"Hello there," greeted the stranger.

"Ah, Thomas, I would like to introduce you to Simon Banks. Simon is one of the few scientists here at the facility who specializes in Ghost Pokemon," said Oak.

Tom shook hands with Simon, his reflection gleaming in the tall man's white glasses. The boy wasn't very impressed at Oak's statement considering there were probably only 10 researchers in the building, however, he did take interest in that last bit about ghosts.

"You study Ghost Pokemon?" asked Thomas. "Does that mean the black ball that wrecked my house was some kind of ghost?"

Simon chuckled casually as he rubbed the back of his brown combed hair.

"Oh yes, most certainly. When Professor Oak showed me the specimen you discovered, I was quite impressed; Ghastly are very rare in this region," explained Simon.

Tom glanced up at Oak for help. The elder man looked at him too before realizing his problem.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Simon," said Oak, "but Thomas doesn't know much about Pokemon. You'll have to explain it more for him to understand."

"No, I understand it was some kind of Pokemon," replied Tom. "I just don't believe in ghosts. Superstitions like that only cloud the mind."

"Heh heh. Well, I hate to break it to you, but there is such thing as Ghost Pokemon. And that's a fact, believe me," chimed Simon with another chuckle.

Tom took his positive attitude as an insult, but ignored it.

"Indeed. Do you mind showing me what it looks like then?" asked Tom.

"Oh, absolutely. Right this way, please," responded Simon as he walked over to a round table covered in a purple cloth.

Tom and Oak followed respectively, as the scientist put two firm hands on the cloth.

"Underneath this sheet lies the Pokemon that was in your house. I've studied it and tested it; there is nothing wrong with it. From my research, I have concluded that this Gastly is perfectly normal, except for one peculiar characteristic," he said.

"What's that?" asked Oak curiously.

Simon smirked, revealing a clean smile of teeth.

"The eyes!" he replied as he unveiled the round Pokemon in the glass tank.

Tom was soon intimidated by two large eyes glowing a bright crimson, causing him to stagger back and fall on the metal floor.

"W-What is that?" he asked, putting his hand up to his face to shield himself incase the Pokemon broke free.

The Gastly in the sphere-like tank was banging around, trying to break free.

"You have nothing to fear, Thomas. This glass is reinforced and sound proof. This Gastly's psionic powers won't be able to penetrate it," said Simon calmly.

Tom got to his feet and dusted himself off, slowly approaching the unique monster.

"A... Gastly?" he asked as he stared into the red eyes of the creature.

The Gastly glared back at him with a smile; it recognized the boy.

"Remarkable. I've never seen a Gastly with red eyes before," said Oak as he leaned down to get a better look at the specimen.

The Gastly started breathing hard on the glass, trying to hide itself by fogging up the view; it didn't work very well.

"Don't think that just because its eyes are red that it has special powers," said Simon as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "I believe that it is some sort of defect."

"A defect caused by what?" asked Oak.

"I'm not sure entirely. But whatever caused the color change definitely isn't natural."

Tom wasn't listening to the adults talking. He was too focused on the trapped Pokemon before him. This was actually the second time he had come close to a Pokemon's face. The first time, well, let's just say it wasn't the best experience for a 5 year old child.

"So do you know why this thing was inside my TV?" asked Tom as he looked up at Simon.

"Hm. Yes, Professor Oak told me how this Gastly jumped out of your television and attacked you. I'm not one hundred percent sure. However, it is a known fact that Gastly are natural mischief makers. Incidentally, this one must have been trying to play a prank on you and your mother. But I'm still puzzled as to why there's a Gastly wandering around Pallet. Of all the places in Kanto, why Pallet Town?"

"Coincidence?"

"Not likely. With the wind coming off from the shore, most Pokemon who can't stabilize themselves in mid-air would stay away from the water. This one must have been drawn here somehow. By what, I'm not entirely sure."

The Gastly started spinning around, creating a thin purple mist in it's round cage. It seemed to be trying to impress its audience.

Tom was still mesmerized by its form.

"I've never seen a Pokemon like this..." he muttered. He quickly stood up straight and cleared his throat; he didn't want to make it seem like he was actually interested in Gastly. "Ahem. Well, thank you very much Simon for showing me the criminal behind this destructive act. I'm sure my mother will be interested to hear about this," said Tom as he turned to the door.

"Hold on a second, Thomas," replied Simon as he ran back behind one of the desks, producing a beautiful bouquet of flowers. He handed them to the boy who accepted them graciously.

"I assume these are for-"

"Your mother, yes they are."

"How do you know about her?" asked Tom.

"I'm surprised, Thomas. You didn't realize that your mother's condition is the talk of the town?"

Tom's eyes went wide for a moment.

"What?" he asked, as if he didn't hear what he said clearly.

"I know you're new to the neighborhood, but I think it's important for you to know that news spreads like wild fire. Everyone knows about your mother. You and her are both in our prayers," replied the scientist honestly.

Tom's ear twitched with irritation at this.

"And I suppose Oak is the one responsible for spreading the word?" said Thomas without even looking at the Pokemon expert.

Oak stuttered a bit before replying.

"Now wait just a minute, Thomas. It's not like that. I'm only trying to give your family support," said Oak.

Thomas clenched a fist, but kept it hidden from both scientists. Gastly saw it in clear view, causing it to laugh in its cage.

"I know what you're thinking. You don't think I can take care of my family on my own. You think that my mother and I are nothing without my father," he said with a menacing glare.

"No, Thomas-"

"You listen to me!" shouted Tom as he pointed a firm finger at the elder man. "Don't you DARE compare me to my father! I'll never become half the man he is! Not once! Not ever! We have been living our lives just fine up until now! We don't need your charity! We don't need your sympathy! I can take care of her on my own!"

Tom shoved the flowers into Oak's shaking hands and stormed out of the lab, not even bothering to say good-bye to Simon. Both scientists and the Pokemon watched Tom as he grabbed his jacket and slammed the door behind him.

They stood in silence.

Gastly was still laughing.

Simon sighed and pulled the purple cloth back over the sphere-like glass, covering Gastly from public eyes.

"Something about that boy troubles me," he said casually, trying to take the blame off of Oak.

The Pokemon professor just stood there and stared at the beautiful flowers in his hands, a tear creeping down his wrinkly face.

"It's not your fault, Simon. Thomas just needs time to recollect himself. There has been a lot of stress on his mind lately between school and his mother. I think the accident with Gastly was the trigger that topped it off," he replied.

"Hm. I see where you're coming from. But still, it's no excuse for a boy his age to be speaking to an elder like that. An attitude like his will grow, Oak. It will grow into something powerful, something that will overpower his own mind. And when that happens, his world will be lost, his mother, his father, you, me, everybody."

Profesor Oak nodded sadly at Simon's response and hugged the flowers close to his chest.

"Simon... could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, professor. Anything."

"Could you... continue to keep the boy's mother in your prayers?"

"Of course, sir. I wouldn't dream of betraying my virtues."

"Thank you."

Silence.

"Professor Oak?"

"I fear for him, Simon. I have the strangest feeling that... one day Thomas is going to get into a lot of trouble... and there won't be anything you or I will be able to do about it."

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Thomas ran down the dirt road, tears streaming from his face.

He was mad at Oak.

He felt belittled, insulted, and that he was the only one who cared about his situation. He didn't want to be known around Pallet as "The Son of the Dying Woman." No, he had a reputation he has to uphold. Sadly, it wouldn't stop people from leaving cards and candies at his doorstep. Although he agreed that the people had good intentions, it made himself feel weak; he couldn't help his mother, therefore he was relying on the support of others. What do they think he is, living in poverty?

But he wasn't going to take it like this.

Tom decided that the best course of action would be to just work harder. Yeah, that was it. All he had to do was act like his dad and work harder. Work harder. Work harder. These words pounded at his head like a repetitive mallet; it was more soothing than the previous thoughts.

His father had never been around to tell him how boys are supposed to grow up. When Tom looked up to Robert Weston, he didn't see the man who helped bring him into this world, but a man who is a success.

Success.

Yes, that was a word that Thomas loved to hear all the time. He enjoyed hearing about people's success stories, how they became famous or how they accumulated so many Pokedollars in their lifetime. He wanted to be like that, to be praised, to be wanted, to be known and remembered as a contributer to this harsh society. Thomas Weston planned for the future, but things don't always go as they plan. He came to the conclusion a while ago that the reason why he hasn't been able to make something out of himself is because of the people around him; they were the ultimate influence. He wasn't quite sure if they were dragging him down or leading him down a different path. Either situation was bad, for Tom hated change with all his heart.

He lied to his father twice in that e-mail.

Tom shook himself into reality as he continued running. He noticed red flickering lights up ahead. When he reached his house, there was an ambulance parked in the drive way. Thomas stared at the medical vehicle before feeling his heart beat increase. The boy ran inside, wishing that he had taken that bouquet of flowers with him.

-

**Author's Note:** Review please. ;)


	3. Departure

Journey to Cinnabar Island

**Author's Note:** Thank you again to Chris000 and SG-Kai for reviewing.

-

Chapter 3: Departure

An ice cold hand grabbed the boy as soon as he set foot in his own home. Tom struggled against the stranger but was easily overpowered; the medic dragged him back outside.

"Let go of me!" shouted Thomas as he kicked and fought to break free.

The person who had apprehended him, a masked man in white, did not reply, but pulled the boy back out into the drive way. For the first time since he's been in this town, Thomas felt scared, but he didn't dare to show it in front of this stranger.

When he was free, Tom wiped the spit from his face and stared at his apprehender.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Tom seriously.

The man in the white mask glanced at the nearby ambulance before turning back to the boy.

"We received a distress call from one of the townspeople. Are you the son of the woman in this house?" he asked cooly.

The man's voice was almost as cold as his hands.

"I am. Now what are you doing here? I didn't call an ambulance. I don't need an ambulance," replied Tom rudely.

The man paused before clearing his throat again.

"I know you don't. You're not the one who's dying," responded the medic.

"I know that! But I don't need your help to take care of her! I can do it by myself!"

Tom and the stranger turned when they noticed two other men in white carrying a stretcher out of the house; Tom's mother was lying in it, tightly wrapped in a warm blanket. She was having a hard time breathing.

The boy instantly ran up to her.

"Mom! Are you okay?" he asked innocently.

His mother had her eyes closed; she couldn't hear him.

"Excuse me, son, but please don't get in their way," said the cold-handed man as he grabbed Tom on the shoulder, leading him away from the other medics.

The men carrying his mother loaded her into the back of the ambulance and closed the door. Soon, the sirens went off, and the vehicle sped down the road. Tom watched it go.

"Where are they taking her?" he asked quietly.

"To the nearest hospital: Viridian City," replied the medic next to him. "Son, where is your father?"

Tom didn't look at the man but kept his eyes focused on the road.

"My father, he's... not here," said the boy.

The medic interpreted this as anyone would in his position.

"I'm sorry. Look, son, I'm going to have to ask you some questions. I need you to answer them for me. Is that alright?" asked the man as he pulled out a note pad.

Tom refused to make eye contact, but he nodded his head in response.

"Okay."

"How long has she been sick for?" asked the stranger.

"Almost one month," replied Tom immediately.

"I see," responded the medic as he wrote on his pad. "Were you the only one taking care of her the whole time?"

"Yes."

"Uh huh. Is she on any medication?"

"Sir, please. I don't feel comfortable talking to you here. I just...I want to see my mother. Can at least see her? Please?" asked Tom, as he looked up to the man, tears forming in his eyes.

The masked medic stared at the boy for a few seconds.

Tom prayed that the man would take him to the hospital.

He needed to know if she was okay.

"Sure," said the man as he pocketed the pad. "Follow me."

Tom followed the man all the way to the road where a small car was parked. He got into the passenger seat as the man stepped in and turned on the engine.

"You should have known better than to keep her locked in your house on her own," said the man coldly as he checked the mirrors and turned onto the road.

Tom looked at him nervously.

"W-What?" he stuttered.

"Your mother is dying. She needs immediate treatment. There's no way she would have lasted another week in there. Just be grateful someone had the courtesy to call us."

"Who called you?" asked the boy darkly.

"We cannot give out any names."

Tom sat there in silence as he watched the world go by out the side window.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" he asked.

The man paused before making a reply.

"No. No we don't. And that's the problem."

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Tom buried his head into his hands as he sat in the nearly empty waiting room. He had been waiting there for over half an hour, thinking and praying. The man who had driven him there had questioned the boy about his mother. Although he never gave out his name, Tom was almost certain that the man was an expert physician and psychiatrist. It didn't matter to him though; all he wanted was to see his mom's face again.

The boy lifted his head up and peered around at the other people in the room. They were nothing but mere shadows; he couldn't recognize any of them. Tom assumed that he was the only resident of Pallet Town in the hospital. He had known about Viridian City since he moved to the region, but never in his life would he have guessed that he would actually go there. Compared to the other urban areas, Viridian was considered small geographically, but the city itself had all the necessary needs of a thriving community; it even had a hospital.

Tom kept his eyes on the door on the side of the room; he was waiting for someone to open and say, "Guess what, son? Your mother is alive and healthy! Come in and see her!" But no, there was no one. Tom was beginning to suspect that he had let his mother down from the very beginning.

"_Don't think like that, you idiot_," said his conscience. "_Your mother is not dying. She is just sick. The doctors are only giving her a checkup, that's all. Stop worrying yourself_."

"There wouldn't be a need for this if I had only done my job properly," replied Tom out loud. "What kind of son am I if I can't even take care of my own mother?"

"_Ease up a bit, you're starting to creep out the people sitting around you_."

Tom looked to his side to see a fat man staring at him. Upon eye contact, the man immediately turned away and looked back at his newspaper. Tom gave other people glances, causing them all to react in a similar manner.

"I don't care what they think," said Tom. "They don't know me at all."

"_You're giving them hints by talking to yourself, you know_."

Tom opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when he heard the door opening. A tall man in a lab coat walked into the room.

"Thomas Weston, you may come in now," he said as he looked around for the boy.

Tom quickly stood up and hastily walked to the man's side.

"Is everything okay, doctor?" he asked with concern.

The man was hesitant to reply.

"You better come with me," he said.

The man headed down the hall, Tom following close by. As the passed by various rooms and nurses, not once did the doctor make eye contact with the boy. Thomas was becoming suspicious as to why he was acting this way; he came to the conclusion that there was bad news.

"_Easy, pal. Don't lose yourself_."

Eventually, the doctor stopped at an open room where h gestured for Tom to enter by himself. Tom glanced at the man one last time before going in and running to the bedside of his mother.

"Mom! Are you alright?" he asked hopefully as he hugged her.

She was breathing slowly; a clear mask was covering her mouth and nose.

"Tommy..." she whispered.

Tom could almost feel tears rushing to his eyes. He tried his hardest not to let them out.

"Excuse me, son?" said a low voice behind him.

Tom let go of his mom and whirled around to see another doctor wearing a grey business suit.

"I-Is she going to be okay?" asked Tom.

The man glared down at the boy seriously, causing Tom to back off a little.

"My name is Dr. Heath. I'm the head physician here at this hospital."

Dr. Heath offered a firm hand which Tom shook.

"I'm Thomas."

"I know. And this is your mother, correct?"

"Yes. Yes she is."

Heath walked over to Mrs. Weston and looked down at her from high.

"There is something terribly wrong here," he said coldly.

For the head physician, Thomas wasn't impressed.

"I know there is," he replied. "But what exactly?"

Heath looked at him.

"I don't know. I've never seen a virus as powerful as this one. It's... It's very similar to a flu, but she isn't coughing and her nostrils are clean. However, she is very weak and her body is very frail. Her bones have decayed at an astronomical rate. I fear that her body won't be able to circulate the blood like normal."

Tom's eyes went wide as he stared at his half-dead mother in the bed.

"_Brittle bones? Heart malfunction? Wow, you were off by quite a bit_."

"It's not a cancer? It's... a virus?" asked the boy, as if still trying to grasp the situation at hand.

"It is, I know for a fact," replied Dr. Heath. "Although, I've never seen one such as this before. Further analysis of her blood shows that the bug has been lying dormant in her system for quite some time. It has been active and growing throughout her body for almost 30 days. But without the proper medication and equipment, I'm afraid there won't be anything we can do."

Tom was surprised at how casual Heath said that last statement.

"Well, is this not a hospital? Are you not a doctor? Is it not your job to help those who are sick?" said Tom rudely.

"We've tried all we can, but nothing seems to be working. I honestly have no clue what to do at this point. Even with the proper procedures, our medicine doesn't have any effect."

"So that's it then. You're just going to quit because you don't know what kind of virus it is or how it acts."

"Of course, there always is the alternative: We could extract the virus on its own to examine and maybe find a way to kill it."

"Why not?"

"Since the germ has attached itself to your mother's nervous system, as well as her bone structure, it could be impossible to extract the virus without killing her. That brings me back to why I brought you here in the first place."

"Wait, what are you-"

"We need permission from a relative to perform the procedure. Be aware that if you accept, you will be doing mankind an enormous favor."

Tom glared darkly at the doctor. He couldn't believe how selfish this man was. Did he not care that this was his mother he was talking about?

"How can you even say that? I could never live with the guilt of killing my own mother. Surely there are other options."

"Zero. Either she dies slowly, or she dies with us having a better understanding of the bug. There is no other option."

Dr. Heath definitely was a professional in this field; he didn't waver between his job and acting humanely.

Tom looked at his mother again who had her eyes closed. He felt the tears return but fought them back.

"Doctor... how long does she have?" he asked.

"Approximately 8 days, give or take a few."

Tom slammed his eyes shut and tried hard not to let the tears through. He failed and felt them run down his cheeks. How was supposed to tell his father? How was he supposed to live by himself? The whole world started to close in on him, until a spark of light shined through.

"Wait!" said Tom as his eyes instantly opened. "There is a cure!"

Heath raised an eyebrow at the boy followed by a sigh.

"Really now? How can you be sure?"

Tom went to his mother's side and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Don't worry, mom, I'll be back. I'm going to save you. Don't you worry about me, you just stay right here. Dr. Heath will take care of you. Don't worry about me."

With that, the boy glanced at the doctor and bolted out of the room. Heath ran out into the hallway and watched the boy sprint passed the other rooms again.

"Wait Tom! Where are you going!?" he shouted.

"Look after her, Doctor!" replied Tom without looking back. "I will find the cure! I will be back in 8 days! Count on it!"

Heath watched him run out the door before leaning against the wall. He looked back into the room where Tom's mother was sleeping.

"That boy. You better hope he knows what he's doing. For your sake..."

Tom bolted out the front doors of the hospital and ran right into a man who had just started walking up the stairs. The boy quickly recovered and began running down the sidewalk.

"Hey Tom! Where are you going?" called the man he had bumped into.

Tom quickly stopped upon recognizing the voice and turned around to see Simon still dressed in his lab coat. He ran up to the scientist.

"Oh, sorry Simon, I didn't see you there," said the boy as he panted for breath.

"Thomas, what's going on? Isn't your mother in there?" he asked pointing towards the large grey building.

Thomas blushed a bit before replying.

"Yes, she is. But, she's in trouble. The doctors can't help her. She's going to..."

His words trailed off into nothingness as he looked west and saw the sun painting the sky an orange color.

"Ah, I see," said Simon, trying to sound polite. "But if she's inside, why were you running away?"

"Simon... I don't know how to say this... but I think I know of a cure."

Simon raised an eyebrow at this.

"A cure? For what, your mother's sickness?"

"Yes, I do. No, I'm certain that there is a cure. I have to go get it."

"Where is it?"

"I... I can't tell you. I have to find it on my own."

Simon paused here as he stared at the young boy. He was rather curious as to how Tom had figured out there was the cure assuming the doctors had none. He knew right from the beginning this boy was special.

"Thomas, your talking nonsense. Come on inside, the heat must be getting to your head."

Simon reached for the boy's hand, but Tom immediately backed away.

"No," he said while shaking his head.

"This is irrational, Thomas. You aren't thinking clearly. I'm sure the doctors-"

"The doctors don't know anything!" shouted Tom before running away down the steps.

Simon was quick to react and he grabbed Tom's wrist aggressively and pulled him back.

"Hold on, where do you think you're going?" asked the scientist seriously. "I came all the way out here to see how your mother was, and all you can do is run away? Come on, Thomas, I thought you were better than that."

Tom realized the faults of his own actions and stood tall; the moment he was let go, he straightened out his shirt and dusted himself off, trying to make himself look gentlemanly.

"I'm sorry, Simon. I didn't mean to burst out like that," he said shamefully.

"Don't worry about it. But if this is all really upsetting to you, I'll be more than happy to drive you home. I know how hard it must be for you to live through all this. The least I can do is take you back to Pallet Town so you can rest," replied Simon with a smile.

Tom smiled back at the man's generosity.

"Yes... I think that would be great. Thank you."

With that, the two friends walked together down the steps and back to Simon's pickup, where they then proceeded back home.

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Later that night...

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_Thomas had all the necessary items sprawled out upon his bed: a sleeping bag, a toothbrush, water bottles, clothes, energy bars, a flash light, a 50 meter long rope, a first aid kit, and a pocket knife. He went up and down his checklist a couple of times before confirming he had everything he needed. _

_"To bad I don't have a laptop..." _

_Hastily, Tom shoved all of his equipment into his blue backpack, zipping it tightly and securely. After pulling his red tuque over his head and slipping into his dark jacket, Tom looked at himself in front of his mirror. He gave a serious grin to his reflection, convincing it that this was not just fun and games, but serious business; no, it was life or death. _

_He reached into his pocket to find a small jewelry box containing the ancient Pokemon fossil his father had given him. Tucking the case back into its place, Tom adjusted the hat atop his head and nodded firmly at himself. _

_"Alright. Let's do this." _

_The boy left his house quietly and locked the front door, making sure to leave the keys under the "Welcome" mat. He glanced up at the full moon over head, his figure being nothing more than a mere silhouette to bystanders--that is, if there were any bystanders. Thomas tugged his bag tightly and crept silently across the town, tip-toeing every step of the way. He climbed the hill leading up to Oak's laboratory. After a quick inspection of the perimeter, Thomas skulked up to the front entrance, where he then proceeded with breaking the security code of the door. _

_The old professor had trusted Tom with the pass code incase of an emergency, but never would he have suspected the boy of actually breaking in at night time. After a sequence of button pressing on the panel, the door clicked open, and Tom went on to phase two of his mission: It was time to steal some Pokemon. _

_Thomas took out the flashlight from his backpack and began shining it around the lab, attempting to locate the vault where the Pokmon were stored. All he needed to do was get his hands on a strong fighter, that way he would have no problem roaming the Kanto region on his own. Unfortunately, the vault on the opposite end of the room was locked. Tom examined the lock on the door, discovering it to be a pad lock; he had zero experience with lock picking so breaking into this room was out of the question unless he wanted to wake someone up. _

_The boy turned around and cursed to himself, searching for any other rooms on the first floor. He stumbled upon a table that had various tools and electronic equipment spread atop it. A red rectangular Pokedex was lying in the center of the table. Tom was no expert in the Pokemon world, but he did know that in order to train Pocket Monsters, Trainers had to have their license with them at all times. _

_"This will come in handy," he whispered as he pocketed the red device. _

_He checked the vicinity of the room again to find nothing, except for a familiar round table with a cloth draped over it. Perhaps there was a chance Gastly hadn't been put into storage yet. _

_Tom hesitantly moved over to the table, hoping for the gas Pokemon to be asleep. The boy threw the cloth off the sphere glass to find Gastly, along with it's red eyes staring up at him. Tom froze as he stared into the hypnotic crimson of the Pokemon. _

_Gastly stared back at him evilly. _

_Thomas gulped but put any fears he had about this creature aside; he grasped the sides of the table and began pushing it along the metal floor. Fortunately, the table had wheels built into the bottom of it, so moving this Pokemon was no hard feat. Gastly started bouncing up and down in the glass cage, trying to make some form of noise. Although the sound was very subtle, it pounded at Tom's eardrums. He rolled the table out of the lab as quickly as he could and ran it down the hill until he came to the end of town. With one last look at Oak's lab, and a pensive glance at the captured Pokemon, Thomas set out into the night. _

_He ignored the dark looks Gastly gave him._

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Tom stirred in his sleep. The bright lights gleaming on hi eyelids caused him to waken from his slumber. A nurse in a pink uniform was by his bedside, adjusting the blinds on the wall.

"Ugh... where am I?" asked the boy as he rubbed the sand from his eyes.

The red haired woman glanced at him and gave a smile.

"Oh, good morning," she said as she pulled the blinds open completely, allowing the full shine of the sun to fill the room. Tom sheltered his eyes as they adjusted. "It's about time you woke up. It's already 11:00."

Tom blinked his eyes open and sat up in the white fluffy bed.

"11:00? Is it that late already? How long was I out for?" he asked as he massaged his temple with his fingers.

The nurse went over to a pile of blankets sitting on a nearby chair and put them in the closet.

"I'm not sure. But you must have gotten at least 8 hours of sleep. You caused quite a commotion last night."

Tom's eyes shot open as he slowly turned to the nurse who was still packing away sheets.

"Commotion? What happened?" he asked seriously.

"Well, I wasn't there when it happened, but I heard quite a few things from the people who were there. Apparently, Officer Jenny found you lying on the ground outside of the Pokemon Center. No one who was at the scene recognized your face, so they brought you here to recover."

"So... where am I?"

"Viridian City Pokemon Center."

"Viridian City... so then I really did make it... and that dream... wasn't a dream at all. I really did break into Oak's laboratory. I really did steal..."

The nurse gave him an awkward look.

"What was that?" she asked, as if she didn't hear it clearly enough.

Tom looked back at her.

"Where's Gastly?" he asked quickly.

"Oh, your Gastly is over there," she replied as she pointed to the rolling table by the door. The gaseous Pokmon was sleeping inside of it. "It really is quite strange," she continued. "You were lying next to this Pokemon when they found you last night. But isn't it a law that all Trainers should keep their Pokemon in their Pokeballs when unattended? If that Gastly had broken free from... whatever it's in... then it could have really hurt someone."

Tom stared at her, a sign of guilt written all over his face.

"I didn't mean for this to happen..." he said.

"Why is your Gastly in that container?" asked the nurse, gesturing toward the glass cage on top of the table.

Tom hesitated as he tried to think of an excuse that didn't involve trespassing his neighbor's property at night.

"Um... I was experimenting. I was testing that glass to see if it could withstand Gastly's attacks. Uh... it's my own personal training tool," he lied.

The nurse stopped what she was doing and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Training? Is that so?" she asked.

"Oh most certainly. I, um, looked it up on the internet. Locking your Pokemon up in glass cages is a very effective way of boosting their stamina... or something like that..."

"I see..."

Tom looked back at Gastly who hadn't moved since it's been there. He was starting to become anxious; he wanted the nurse to get out of the room so he could collect Gastly and leave. Unfortunately, his weird behavior only made her want to find out more about him.

"Are you even a Trainer?" she asked as she eyed the boy from across the room.

Tom felt his face getting red as he tried to conjure up another excuse.

"Um, of course I am! I have a Pokemon don't I?" he responded quickly.

She didn't seem impressed.

"Just because you have a Pokemon doesn't mean it's yours. You could have stolen it for all I know. Hell, that would have explained the event that happened last night. A boy with no identity collapses in front of the Pokemon Center with a caged Poemon in his possession. He decides to lie there because he knows that Pokemon Centers are generous to anyone who owns a Pokemon. Maybe he was hoping that the beautiful nurses there wouldn't notice his vile intentions."

"_Ouch. That hurt, lady_."

Tom just stared at her, causing her to smile back as if she knew she had the right answer. It wasn't until Tom remembered the Pokedex that he managed to catch his breath again.

"Oh wait," he said as he reached into his pant pocket, "I do have my license. Look here."

Tom produced the red piece of machinery and showed it to the nurse. She glanced at it curiously.

"You didn't forge that on your own did you?" she asked still doubting.

"What? No!" replied the boy as he held the device close. "This is my Pokedex given to me by Professor Oak himself. I'm just a beginner Trainer."

"Whose starter Pokemon is a Gastly."

"Hey, he gave it to me as a gift. Calm down," said Tom rudely.

"Well excuse me," replied the nurse as she backed off. "I'm just looking out for my city. It's not like I'm suspecting you of being from Team Rocket or anything, I'm just saying. You know what, forget what I said. Jenny can take care of you once you get out of here. She's been waiting in the main lobby since you arrived on our doorstep."

"Really?" responded Tom as he pocketed the Pokedex.

"Yep, she had to make sure you didn't try any funny business while everyone was asleep. Lucky for you, you have the face of an innocent youth. Don't let it get to your head."

"Thank you."

"Right. Anyway, I've got work to do. When your all ready to go, make sure you thank Officer Jenny on your way out because she's the one who had the courtesy to bring you here instead of the Police Station," finished the nurse as she strutted out of the room. Before leaving the boy, she stopped at the door. "Oh, and if you get the chance, be sure to pick up some Pokeballs at the Mart," she said, pointing at the caged Pokemon. "I don't think it enjoys being locked up in that glass container."

Tom nodded at her as she left and then glanced at Gastly; it was still sleeping.

The boy rolled his eyes and got out of bed, not even bothering to straighten the sheets out at all. His backpack was on the nearby night stand, so he quickly collected his things and headed over to the Pokemon.

Tom stared at the Ghost for a few seconds before grasping the sides of the table and rolling it out of the room. He maneuvered the cart down the brightly lit hallway, making sure to stay clear of any Chanseys coming in his direction. The pink Pokemon who passed by hummed tunes as they carried medical supplies and equipment to other rooms of the Center. Thomas wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Upon opening the door into the lobby, Tom was immediately greeted by a tall woman in a blue police uniform.

"Why hello there," she smiled cheerly. "You must be the boy we found last night."

Tom backed off a bit shyly before realizing this woman was authority.

"Yes ma'am," he replied plainly, trying to hide any evidence on his face that the Gastly didn't belong to him.

"Why don't you come over here and we get things sorted out?" she asked as she led him over to a couple of seats by the front entrance. Ironically, neither one of them took the initiative to sit down, so they only ended up standing in front of the chairs, the caged Pokmon between them.

"I was just so tired last night, I thought I would never make it to the Pokemon Canter. Thank God you found me," said Thomas as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I see. You a beginner Trainer?"

"Yes. Just got my license yesterday. Say hello to Gastly."

The officer glanced at the Pokemon who was still sleeping.

"Tell me, young man, what is your name?"

Tom stuttered a bit.

"U-Uh... Thomas. Thomas Weston."

"Thomas eh? Nice name. You may call me Officer Jenny."

"Yes ma'am."

Tom bowed his head slightly in respect, attempting to make himself look like anything but a bad kid.

"Why is your Gastly not in its Pokeball, Thomas? Don't you know it's dangerous for inexperienced Trainers to have their Pokemon out in front of the public?" she asked seriously.

"I... I forgot..."

"Uh huh. Rest assured, I'm not going to fine you for disturbing the peace or anything like that."

"Whew. Thank you."

"But I'm still going to have to see your license."

"Oh. Um... sure," said Tom as he produced the Pokedex yet again.

He handed the pocket machine to the officer who opened it and examined its interior.

"Quite a unique design; I've never seen a Pokedex like this. Who gave it to you?"

"Um, Professor Oak. From Pallet Town."

"Ah, I see. Strange how he would give you a Gastly as a starter instead of Charmander or Bulbasaur. I heard Gastly can be pretty vicious when provoked."

"Oh, not mine. That one's tamed."

Officer Jenny turned on the device and was instantly greeted by a female computerized voice.

"Hello. I am Alicia, prototype of the Pokedex 3000. My databanks are filled with information on over 400 different kinds of species of Pokemon. The Pokedex 3000 is a special type of Pokedex created by Professor Samuel Oak who currently resides in Pallet Town, Kanto. If you would like to activate the full features of my system, please press the red button below the screen. If you would like me to scan for nearby Pokemon, please press the blue button below the screen. If you would like me to run the tutorial, please press the green button below the screen. If you are finished with your session, please close the cover, and have a nice day."

Thomas was surprised that the Pokedex worked, considering it was a prototype. He was actually curious as to find the difference between this one and the regular Pokedex.

Officer Jenny inspected the machine with a queer look on her face.

"Professor Oak gave you a prototype Pokedex?" she asked.

"Oh, um, yes he did. He wanted me to test it for him," lied the boy.

"And he trusted a beginner with this task?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Really? Wow, he sure is generous."

"Thank you, ma'am. I mean, yes ma'am."

Tom put his hands behind his back and looked up at her innocently, as if he had absolutely nothing to hide. She glanced back and him and closed the Pokedex with a smile.

"Well, if he gave it to you to test it for him, then I guess there's no harm in that," she said, handing Alicia back to Tom. "Don't worry about your Gastly. I've seen dozens of Trainers who come here and can't even keep their Pokemon in their Pokeballs. The little critters won't even listen to what they're saying!"

"Heh. I'm not much better."

"Nothing a little shopping won't fix. Go on down to the Mart across the street and buy a few Pokeballs. Gastly will be a lot happier in one of those than in that glass container. You'll be doing both it and everyone else a favor."

"Yes ma'am, thank you ma'am," replied Thomas hastily as he bowed his head again and grabbed his cart.

"Be sure to stay out of trouble, Thomas," said Jenny.

"Don't worry, Miss, I will."

Tom headed for the automatic doors of the Pokemon Center and rushed out of there as quickly as he could.

"Good luck with testing the prototype!"

"Thanks! Good-bye!"

Tom scurried away from the large building as quickly as he could with his Pokemon.

He was back on the street, tall buildings surrounding him in each and every direction. Across the street stood a large blue building with a sign on it that read, "Pokemart."

Tom smirked as he read the sign; he was congratulating himself for narrowly dodging a trip to the Police Station. This was actually the first time in his life he had ever denied authority or broken a law. The feeling was hurtful at first, but after a few seconds, the boy felt safe and secure again.

Thomas looked both ways before crossing the street, the cart clutched tightly in his grasp.

-

**Author's Note:** Review please. ;)


	4. Opening

Journey to Cinnabar Island

**Author's Note:** Thank you very much to Chris000, SG-Kai and Souldin for reviewing.

-

Chapter 4: Opening

"Make yerself at home, young'n," said the old man by the cashier as he smiled innocently.

Tom looked about the Pokemart, realizing that there were no other customers besides himself. Pokemon items and accessories lined the shelves along the wall, as well as a few cans and processed food. Thomas assumed he was in the right place, considering the cashier's Pokeball insignia on his baseball cap. The boy scratched his black hair a bit before approaching the counter with his cart.

"Hello there," he greeted. "I would like to purchase some Pokeballs for my Gastly, please."

The old man stroked his thick mustache and examined the sleeping Gaslty in the cage.

"Ah, a fine specimen ya got there," he replied. "How long have ya had it for?"

It didn't take the boy long to reply.

"Only a couple days now," he lied. "I think it's about time I started treating it with more respect. First step: buy some Pokeballs. How much do they cost?"

The man reached under his counter and pulled out three different colored spheres, which he laid out on the table.

"Right now, ya got three choices to make. Yer a beginner right?"

"Yes," responded Tom with a nod.

"Well then allow me to introduce ya to how these things work."

The man picked up the first sphere, which was decorated a red and white metal.

"This here's a standard Pokeball. Ya use these to catch them little critters out in the wild. They come pretty cheap." The man put down the Pokeball and picked up the second one, which had a blue and red design on it. "Now, this one's a Great Ball. It's just like a Pokeball but much more efficient. As you could expect, they're slightly more expensive than regular Pokeballs. And last but not least," said the man as he picked up the final yellow and black ball, "we have the Ultra Ball, which is the top Pokeball of the lot. You toss one of these babies, and you'll find yerself drownin' in a sea of Pokemon. Of course, they are a bit pricey."

Tom nodded his head as he took in this information. Although he had seen many Pokemon battles on TV before, he never actually knew how Pokemon Trainers got the Pokemon into the Pokeballs. However, he did know that Pokemon were much easier to catch if they were asleep. The boy looked down at his Gastly and then back at the cashier.

"Alright, hank you for the info. I'd like to buy some Pokeballs. How much are they again?"

"200 Pokedollars a piece. But for you, I'll give ya a discount. 10% off just because yer a beginner."

"Really? Thanks a lot."

Tom pulled out his wallet and threw a few bills down on the counter.

"Give me five please," he said politely.

The man grabbed the dollars, sniffed them, and then popped them into the cash register.

"Heh heh, pleasure doin' business with ya," he replied as he produced five compressed Pokeballs from under the counter.

Tom slipped the devices into his backpack and took his cart.

"Thanks again, mister," he said as he exited the store with Gastly.

The man waved to him and chuckled.

"Take care, young'n! And good luck on yer journey!"

From the way the old man made it sound, it seemed as if Tom was on a real Pokemon journey instead of a quest to save his mother. He planned on keeping his true objectives a secret from anyone he met, even if it was for a brief period of time. Tom couldn't risk having someone feel sorry for him; it would distract his conscious to a great degree. He promised himself not to tell Father about it either (what he don't know don't hurt him right?). If he could get his mother back to health, his dad would be none the wiser. Not only that, but he would be given the chance to witness a fossil regeneration with his own eyes; that alone was a great feat for any Pokemon Trainer.

After a quick scan of the city streets, Tom headed north towards the Viridian Forest; if he was going to catch his Gastly properly, he was going to do it without all the people around.

* * *

Tom brushed his way through the thick trees of the forest. He pulled the cart behind him clumsily over the rough terrain, his Pokemon now awake. Gastly was flying around in a circle on the inside of the cage entertaining itself. It didn't seem to mind the fact that it had been abducted from its so-called owner. Once he made it to a clearing, Tom let go of the cart and pulled out his Pokedex. After wiping the sweat from his brow, he opened the device, causing it to turn on instantly.

"Hello," greeted Alicia as a happy face appeared in black pixels on the screen. "How are you doing?"

Tom ignored the computerized voice.

"Show me how to catch Pokemon," he demanded.

He started to hit random buttons the machine, causing the happy face on the screen to change to an angry face.

"Stop touching the buttons. If you need assistance, just ask," said Alicia. An arrow popped up near the bottom of the screen, pointing downwards at a small hole in the metal. "There is a microphone right here."

Tom backed off a bit surprised.

"Wait. You... You can talk?" he asked.

A straight face appeared on the screen.

"Yes, it is my function to assist Pokemon Trainers on their journey. Are you the owner of this Pokedex?"

Tom hesitated before replying.

"Um, yes. Yes I am. My name is Thomas Weston, 15 years old, resident of Pallet Town."

"Hold on a moment while I record that..." A series of small pixel dots started moving across the screen followed by a sharp pinging sound. "There! All done! Hello there, Thomas. You may call me Alicia. I will be your companion on your traveling journey."

Tom raised an eyebrow.

"Companion? I thought-"

"Hm?"

"Oh, nothing. This is remarkable, though. I didn't know they made Pokedex's with Artificial Intelligence."

"I am a prototype model of the Pokedex 3000, a Pokedex introduced for the next generation. Now before I give out any more of my information, I need you to fill out your profile. It will only take a few minutes."

Tom glanced at Gastly who was still spinning around in the cage.

"Profile?" he asked as he turned back to Alicia.

"In case I am lost or stolen, I will need your personal information."

"Oh, okay that makes sense. So do I have to fill out a form or something?"

"I will give you a series of questions and you will answer. It's as simple as that."

Thomas glanced around the green clearing for any signs of life. Besides a colony of sleeping Kakuna in a distant tree, this area was about empty. He didn't have to worry about anyone spying on him.

"Alright, start," said Tom.

The screen returned to its happy face state before Alicia started rolling out the questions.

"First, what is your gender?"

"Um, male..."

"Second, do you have any relatives living in the Kanto region? If so, what is their relation to you, where do they live, and what is their occupation?"

"My father and mother both live here in Kanto, but the rest of my family is over on the Johto side. We moved over here recently. My father is a successful businessman working for Silph Corporation in Saffron City. My mother is unemployed and... she is in the hospital." Tom turned away from the Pokedex for a brief moment. "She's not feeling well at all."

Alicia did not seem to take a notice or care of what Tom said in that last sentence.

"Third, do you have any allergies or medications?"

"Zero."

"Fourth, what is your blood type?"

"O+ I believe."

"Fifth, what is your contact information?"

"468 Southwood Street, Pallet Town. My phone number is 536-9889. My e-mail is . I do not have a cell phone."

"Fifth, who distributed this license?"

"Professor Samuel Oak."

A series of black dots floated across the screen.

"Thank you, Thomas, for participating. Now for the final step."

"Which is?" A flash of light came from the screen, blinding Tom for a split second. "Ah! What the-?" he said as he looked away from the screen and covered his eyes with his free hand. "What was that?"

He looked back at the screen to see a surprised image of himself staring back at him on the screen.

"I just needed to take your picture, that is all," replied Alicia cooly.

"Couldn't you have waited until I was ready? Or at least warn me?"

"If you were camera shy, I would not have been able to."

Tom rolled his eyes.

"Okay, whatever. Is that everything then?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now can you show me how to catch a Pokemon? Gastly doesn't look too happy in that cage."

Tom looked at his Gastly, which had stopped spinning around. It was staring up at him menacingly with red eyes.

"Why is your Gastly not in its Pokeball?" asked Alicia.

"Um, it was given to me like this for some reason. Oak wanted to give me a challenge."

"There won't be any challenge if that Gastly escapes."

"So what do I do?"

"There should be a small latch on the side of the glass cage. Do you see one?"

Tom got close and lowered his head to see a small black rubber stopper lodged in a hole.

"There's a hole in the side of the cage that's blocked by a stopper."

"Okay, do you have any Pokballs?"

"Five," replied Tom as he produced a ball from his backpack.

"Perfect. All you have to do is remove the rubber stopper and place the lens on the Pokeball in the hole. The Pokeball will do the rest on its own."

Gastly watched as Tom brought his hand down to pull the stopper off. He quickly replaced the stopped with the lens of the Pokeball. Instantly, a red laser shot out of the lens and enveloped the Pokemon. In a flash of red, Gaslty was quickly sucked into Pokeball, followed by a low pinging sound.

"That sound indicates you've caught the Gaslty," exclaimed Alicia. "Congratulations."

Tom lifted the Pokeball up to his face and looked through the lens; all he could see was blackness. He was actually really relieved that the Gastly was in its ball. Now he wouldn't need to lug the cart around anymore.

"So Gastly belongs to me now, right?" he asked just to make sure.

"It does. But don't assume it won't try to run away or attack you. All Pokemon act in different ways, just like people."

"Pfft. I've heard that one before."

"That is a fact. If you would like me to prove it, let your Gastly out."

"You don't need to prove anything. And I already know how to let it out of the ball," said Thomas rudely.

He tossed his Pokeball on the grass, releasing Gastly from its captivity. The ball bounced back into Toms hand as Gastly appeared in a flash of white light.

"Gastly! Gastly!" it said as it started spinning around again.

Tom stared at the Pokemon.

"Wow, so it wasn't just flying around in a circle because it was trapped..." he muttered.

"And like humans, all Pokemon have different habits and personalities," explained Alicia. "It seems that your Gastly likes spinning around in circles."

"Yeah, combine that with blood shot eyes, and what do you get?"

"A Pokemon just looking for fun. That's my guess anyway."

"Looking for fun?"

Tom looked back at Gastly which started to let its tongue out loose, sending saliva flying in different directions. Tom contemplated for a moment.

"_If what Alicia is saying is right, then this Pokmon was only fooling around before_," he thought to himself. "_Does that mean it never meant us harm when it jumped out of my TV_?"

Gastly stopped spinning around and looked up at its Trainer. Both Tom and the Pokmon locked eyes for a few seconds, blue to red. And Gastly wasn't giving a proud stare either, it was more of a stern look, like the kind one would give to a stranger who got too close.

"Um, Alicia?" asked Tom. "Why is it staring at me?"

"It may be trying to test you," replied the Pokedex. "Maybe it wants to see if you are worthy of being its Trainer."

Indeed, Gastly were mischievous Pokemon. However, as Simon had stated before, they were a rarity outside their natural habitat. Most Ghost Pokemon of the Kanto region usually dwelled in Lavender Tower on the east side of the region. This is so because of the towers' reputation for possessing the souls of forgotten or deceased Pokemon. Gastly's themselves were spirits that haven't yet passed on but remained in a physical, gaseous state. Haunters and Gengars, which were also quite common around Lavender Town, had more of a solid shape when compared to the pre-evolved form Gastly. From a perspective like this, it is easy to see how one may think of Ghastly as a Pokemon made literally out of thin air. Trainers from around the world never saw Gaslty as a monster that "you just had to have" but more of a collector's item; to put it simple, Ghastly were too weak to be considered for League standards. But through the eyes of a novice, like Thomas, a Ghastly was a vicious competitor.

"What does it want me to do?" asked Tom as he remained focused on the Pokemon in front of him.

"It recognizes you," replied Alicia immediately. "Maybe you should introduce yourself?"

"Ah, good idea." Tom took a step towards his Pokemon and kneeled down on one leg with an open hand. "Hey there, Gastly. It's nice to meet you. My name is Thomas."

Tom put on a fake smile; he hated Pokemon. However, he wasn't about to let this thing out of his grasp. Gastly floated cautiously towards the boy and sniffed his hand.

"Gas...Gastly..." it mumbled as it studied the human.

"Is it working?" whispered Tom to his Pokedex.

"We'll soon find out."

Gastly stuck out its long tongue and began licking the boy's hand. Thomas flinched at the feel of the Pokemon's rough organ, but retained his posture.

"_It feels like sandpaper_," he thought. "_Wet sandpaper_..."

When Gastly had finished, it looked up at Tom again and smiled.

"Gastly!" it cried.

The Pokemon then turned around and flew up into one of the nearby trees. Tom stood up immediately and wiped his hand on the side of his shirt.

"Wait, what happened?" he asked.

Gastly appeared on one of the high branches, its eyes gleaming with redness. It gave out a long yawn, set itself down, and began to sleep.

"I think it likes you," chimed Alicia.

Tom made a grimace at the Pokedex in his pocket.

"As much as I'd like to agree with you, I can't. Of all the Pokemon I could have taken, I had to get the lazy one," he replied as he glanced up at his sleeping Gastly.

"Not lazy, maybe its just tired."

"It was asleep all morning!"

"Be grateful that it does not hate you. If it did, Gastly would have just ran away, but this act it has made proves to be a good sign. It trusts you enough to sleep near you."

"Yeah, but it's in a tree."

If Tom doubted it before, he sure as hell believed it now: Pokemon were like people. From first impressions, Thomas could tell that Gastly had several traits that were human-like. For starters, Gastly was hyper active like a child, which explained why it like to fly around in circles. Second, Gastly was also always sleepy, suggesting that the mood of a teenager. Likely, this Gastly was of a young age, healthy in both the physical and mental state.

"Maybe you should let it rest for now," suggested Alicia. "Why don't I introduce you to some of my features?"

Tom pulled out his Pokedex again and opened up the screen, revealing a happy face.

"Features, huh. Like what, a ladder?"

"Just ignore Gastly for now. To get your mind off of it, let me ask you this: did you know that my system comes complete with satellite internet?"

"Really now?" replied Tom in interest.

"Yes. There is a browser, a texting software and e-mail system. Speaking of which, I do believe you have received a new message approximately five minutes ago."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

A winking face appeared on screen.

"I didn't want to interrupt you and your Pokemon. Anyway, to open to message, hit the purple circular button there."

Tom located the button instantly and clicked it. A message appeared on screen, replacing the face that had once been there. The message was a reply from his father.

_From Robert Wston_

_Subject: Team Rocket in Kanto_

_I'm glad to see you and your mother are enjoying your time here, Tom. I wish I could be there with you, but duty calls, you know? It's good to see that you're so motivated nowadays; I think it's a very healthy transition._

_In case you didn't hear about it on the news, you should know that Team Rocket has risen to power again. Just to refresh your memory, they were a secret cult dedicated to using Pokemon as tools of power in order to take over the world (fairy tale mumbo-jumbo, I know, but it's true!). The last of them were supposedly caught by the authorities and wiped out from the Sinnoh region some time ago, but apparently, new members have been seen sneaking around Kanto! My guess is that if they have returned, they most likely have an organization operating in one of the major cities like Celadon, Vermillion, or even Saffron. Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Why is this so important to know dad?" Well allow me to spell it out for you: if Team Rocket acquires info on the fossil lab on Cinnabar Island, there isn't a doubt in my mind that they'll use it to bring back some ancient form of evil to terrorize the government. And you know what that means don't you? Not only will Silph go into bankruptcy, but it will also be partially our fault for allowing them to get their hands on the data. So I'm going to warn you right now: watch out for Team Rocket when you go to visit the laboratory. Members can be identified by an upper case red "R" on their uniform. I fear that they may have members working inside Silph itself, but maybe I'm just paranoid. If you do somehow stumble upon a Rocket member, do not try to fight them. Your mother and I worry about you enough, son. We don't need you getting into trouble with criminals, especially criminals that carry Pokemon as weapons. You know as well as I do that Pocket Monsters can be dangerous creatures. Look at me, I'm rambling now. Just be safe, Tommy. And be sure to keep an eye out for any suspicious characters when you visit the lab. Who knows, you could end up helping us all out in the long run. Take care, son._

Thomas raised an eyebrow as he neared the end of the message.

"_That's strange_," he thought. "_Why would dad tell me about this? I'm not with the police or anything like that. And isn't the lab supposed to be top secret?_"

Alicia cleared the message off the screen and her face reappeared.

"Did you learn anything?" she asked.

Tom pretended to ignore his father's warning and gave out a smug smirk instead.

"Yes. I learned that you make a very good messaging system. Thank you for that," he replied.

Since his Pokedex was just a prototype, Tom didn't feel it was the best idea to spill out all of his personal information; Alicia was merely his traveling companion, nothing more. She possessed vast knowledge about the world of Pokemon. She knew where to find the most rare creatures and how to avoid the most dangerous ones. She knew about the land's history, as well as the history of all the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members. Most importantly, she knew how to help a beginner Trainer. More or less, Thomas saw her as a tool. Gastly, well, it was more of a necessary nuisance.

"I told you. Don't be afraid to take advantage of my features," she said with a smile. "After all, that is the reason why I was designed."

"Don't worry, I understand. Actually, I wouldn't mind taking you apart just to see what makes you tick," he replied with an evil smile.

"If you break me, you will regret it," she responded with a sad face.

Tom felt sympathy for a moment, causing him to take back what he had said.

"Sorry. But don't worry about it. I wouldn't dream of hurting you. I can't expect to fulfill my duty if you aren't around."

"Yes, your Pokemon journey."

"Uh, right. My Pokemon journey..."

Thomas looked up at the tree Gastly was sleeping on to find it still there, but facing the other way; it was snoring. The boy pulled out his Pokeball and aimed it at his Pokemon.

"Come on. We have a ways to go," he said as a red laser shot out of the lens and struck the Ghost.

Gastly was sucked into the ball completely unaware. Tom compressed his device and adjusted the tuque on his head.

"Okay, Alicia. Let's get going."

"You lead the way. The forest can be a dangerous pace if you're not careful. Keep an eye out for Beedrills." "

Beedrills?"

"You will know them when you see them."

Tom shrugged his shoulders.

"If you say so."

The young Trainer set off into the mess of trees, praying that he wouldn't run into another Pokemon wandering the forest.

* * *

All the scientists of the laboratory stood around the area where Gastly had once sat. The table, the glass cage, everything was gone. Simon crossed his arms and shook his head with a sigh. Oak was standing next to him with a puzzled expression on his face. Neither of the two men had a clue who the culprit behind the kidnapping of Gastly was. It was nearly impossible for anyone to break into the lab at night without disturbing the neighbors. The lab itself had a lockdown system which activated automatically during the evening making all windows, sky lights, and side doors impassable. The only way to get into the building was through the front door which was always locked by a security code in case of an emergency. Professor Oak was certain that the code was kept secret; all of the scientists knew it. He had told Thomas the code as well when he first moved to the town out of trust; Tom wasn't the type of guy who would just break into a lab and steal a Pokemon without a legitimate reason. Besides, he was at the hospital in Viridian city wasn't he? He was tending to his sick mother in bed right?

Simon pushed his glasses up his nose as he produced a clipboard in his arm. He started scribbling some information down on the sheet.

"Did you tell the police about this?" he asked Oak without looking at him.

Professor Oak paused before replying. He wouldn't stop staring at the open spot Gastly had once been. What boggled his mind the most was how anyone could have gotten in without him knowing; after all, his bedroom was just up stairs. If there was a thief moving things around on the first floor, surely he must have heard something. Unfortunately, Oak was a very heavy sleeper; it was one of the great disadvantages of his job.

"I just called them," he replied to the scientist without looking. "I told them that we had a break in last night. No one was hurt. No property was damaged. But a Pokemon was stolen: a recently caught Gastly that had blood shot eyes. The case in which it was stored was also stolen. That's all I said, and now they are on their way. They should be here soon..."

Oak didn't sound the least bit enthusiastic or confident about the situation. He feared that it was a sign of himself not being a careful enough person. If it was that easy for someone to break in and steal a Pokemon, what's to stop them from doing it a second or third time? And what if there is a next time that they decide to take more than what they initially wanted? Security was going to need an upgrade.

Simon continued scribbling down info on his sheet of paper. He didn't feel so bad about the situation as Oak did; only one Pokmon was stolen so it really wasn't a total loss.

"It's peculiar though," said Simon. "Of all the creatures stored in the lab, why Gastly? I mean, the safe where the other Pokemon are stored is guarded by a pass code similar to the front door."

"Perhaps it was easier for a hit and run. Perhaps the burglar was afraid or paranoid. Or perhaps there was only one thief in the first place."

Simon glanced at Oak from the side before returning to his notes.

"Tell me, Professor, how many people know the security code in order to get into this facility?" he asked.

Oak turned to the scientist.

"Everyone here in the lab, which is about ten or eleven people. That is about it, I believe."

Simon gave him an unsure look, as if he wasn't satisfied enough.

"Is that it? Surely there must be others."

"There isn't. At least, I don't think there are. I can't recall anyone else who might know the code."

"Family, friends, associates?"

"No one who isn't in this building."

Simon tapped his chin with the end of his pen.

"I see. Well, if you're so sure, then I can only assume that someone in this room has given away the pass code. I will need everyone's name written down." Simon took a step onto the spot where Gastly once was and faced the group of scientists. "I'm going to have to question each and every one of you in this room for further investigation. It's a safety precaution we're going to have to take."

A young female scientist with blonde hair near the front raised her hand.

"Shouldn't this be left to the authorities? You are just as guilty as the rest of us, Simon," she said.

Simon nodded his head.

"Fair enough, Annette. All of us shall be questioned equally. However, everyone must remain in this room until the police arrive. And even before that, I have on very important question for you all," he responded as he pocketed the pen and put the clip board to his side.

Oak was curious at Simon's proposal.

"What's wrong, Simon?" he asked.

The young scientist pushed his glasses up again and tilted his head downward so that the reflection of the light made it impossible to see his eyes.

"How many of you here are in any affiliation with the notorious Team Rocket?"

Some of the scientists let out gasps while a few others took a step back in shock.

"S-Simon!" said Oak. "How can you even say that? We are all hard working people here! What you're saying is just-"

"Answer the question. How many of you here are or have worked with Team Rocket?"

The scientist actually did sound rather ridiculous. Everyone in the room had a proper education as well as a zero criminal record; the odds of anyone being in Team Rocket were slim to non-existent.

"What are you saying?" asked Annette.

"He's nuts, that's what he is," commented as male researcher from the side.

"I know it sounds crazy because we have all known each other for so long. However, it is not impossible that someone may have given out, intentionally or otherwise, the pass code to our laboratory to someone working under Team Rocket," pestered Simon. "In which case, this situation may be more serious than it appears to be."

"But can't we just change the password?" asked someone from the back of the group.

"Yes, and mark my words, we shall. But we can't be too careless next time. Hear me now, if there is someone working for Team Rocket, you will be caught and brought to justice."

"Okay, I've had enough of this."

Professor Oak grabbed Simon's lab coat sleeve and tugged him out of the middle of the group. He pulled him off to the side while the others watched and stared.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" cried the scientist.

Oak slammed the scientist into the metal wall, causing Simon to stop resisting.

"I don't want to hear any more of this 'Team Rocket' nonsense, do you got it?" said Oak as he clenched the man's shirt collar.

Simon's glasses jumbled on his nose; he grabbed Oak's wrist, attempting to fight back.

"You think people breaking into the laboratory at night is nonsense?" retorted Simon. "I'm trying to help you right now!"

Oak glanced at the other researchers who were staring at him, but then turned back to face Simon.

"Listen here," he started. "Team Rocket does not exist anymore. They were kicked out of the region years ago. All that stuff you hear about in the Johto and Sinnoh regions; it's not real. Team Rocket is NOT stealing Pokemon anymore! They are extinct! So if you don't mind, will you kindly stop scaring people with your fairy tales about evil people breaking into homes and taking things!"

The professor let go of the scientist and the two locked eyes for a moment. Simon took a deep breath before adjusting his glasses and his collar. The scientist then shoved his clipboard into Oak's chest. Oak caught it clumsily and was about the retaliate, but was unable because Simon had quickly stormed off out the front door. Professor Oak stood there by himself with the papers in his hands. The other scientists came over to see what had happened.

"What's wrong, sir?" asked one of the researchers.

"Is there a problem?" asked another.

"Would you like me to get you a drink, professor?"

Oak did not reply to any of the questions but looked down at the clip board that Simon had given him. The scientist's hand writing could be seen scribbled all over the top sheet in black ink. Oak lifted the file up to his face and read it out loud for everyone to here.

"From the scene of the crime," he started, "the following items were stolen: a low level Gastly with blood shot eyes, a capture cart used to hold aggressive Pokemon, and a prototype of the Pokedex 3000. All items were stolen on the same night during approximately the same time, and assumed to be by the same number of people, or same person. The police will be arriving to investigate shortly. From the missing items, and the recent turn of events with the town and the region, I have narrowed down the suspects to but a few people. All the scientists of the lab, including myself, are suspects of committing such a crime. Also, we are all to blame for letting out the secret code to enter the laboratory. It was with the pass code that the criminal managed to break into the lab. I also believe that members of Team Rocket may be behind this, regardless of the fact that no members have been found in Kanto for the past several years. Whether or not the scientists here are in any affiliation with Team Rocket is completely beyond me, but the authorities will find out sooner or later. Finally, the last suspect I believe to be behind this break in is the young Thomas Weston, resident of Pallet Town. Although the odds of it are small, and the reasons may be obscure, it was his finger prints that were found on the front door during inspection this morning."

-

**Author's Note:** Review please. Oh, and if you can find the little Resident Evil spoof I slipped into this chapter, then good for you!


	5. Acceptance

Journey to Cinnabar Island

**Author's Note:** Thank you everyone for your reviews. Don't be afraid to criticize my work please. I know this isn't the best story ever so don't be shy to point out any faults in my writing. ;)

-

Chapter 5: Acceptance

The history of the Viridian Forest dates back to prehistoric times when man and Pokmon first walked the earth. The land, spanning an impressive 100 acres or so, used to be barren and inhabited by creatures that are now more well known in desert areas. Since that time, the forest had grown, housing many native Pokemon, especially those in the Bug and Bird family. As technology advanced, so did the minds of the humans; they made a pact to preserve the Viridian Forest and keep it safe from the pollution usually found in urban regions. Park Rangers from the neighboring cities of Pewter and Viridian would have monthly shifts to patrol the forest for any signs of litter, vandalism, or more rarely, hunting. Viridian Forest had once been used as a hideout for the notorious Team Rocket where they would store stolen goods or Pokemon. That was the last exciting event that ever took place in the forest. Now, Viridian Forest is used merely as a preliminary test for young Pokemon Trainers attempting to see what the big wide world has in store for them.

"Gastly, use your Lick attack!" shouted Tom as he pointed a finger at the Weedle.

Gastly swooped down from above with its mouth open, but narrowly missed its target as the Bug dodged to the side. The Weedle retaliated with a Poison Sting, hitting the Ghost directly in the rear. Gastly flinched as it absorbed the damage and backed off from the wild Pokemon.

"What other attacks does Gastly know?" asked Tom as he flipped open his Pokedex.

Alicia rolled her pixel eyes on screen.

"You should know, its your Pokemon. Or you should have at least done some research on a Ghost type's basic attacks."

Thomas took off his tuque and shoved it into his backpack's side pocket; he was starting to get hot. He found it quite wondrous how, even though he wasn't really doing the fighting, he could feel himself using energy as if he was exercising. Was this supposed to happen in a Pokemon battle?

The Weedle reared back and charged at Gastly for another Poison Sting attack. Gastly was hit a second time, but the damage was minimal.

"Gastly!" it cried as it endured the weak attack.

Tom attempted to think back at any time when Gastly had used an attack, but his memory drew a blank. There was only one thing that the boy knew for sure that Gastly could do.

"Gastly! Turn invisible now!" he ordered.

Gastly glanced at the boy with crimson eyes before giving a nod and disappearing into thin air. The wild Weedle stopped moving and began looking around for the hidden Ghost. Tom could hear subtle laughs as Gastly maneuvered itself around its opponent.

"Use Lick!" said Tom.

Gastly reappeared behind the Weedle, stuck out its large tongue and licked the hairy bug Pokemon with ease. The force of the attack caused the Weedle to fall to the ground and twitch in an uncomfortable manner.

"Gastly, get back!"

The Ghost returned to its Trainer's side as Thomas watched the Bug spazz out on the grass in the clearing.

"Um, Alicia? What's wrong with it?" he asked his Pokedex.

"Upon contact, Link may sometimes paralyze the foe Pokemon. Paralyzed Pokemon move slower and are very easy to catch with Pokeballs," she replied.

Tom gave a small smirk.

"Ah, I see. So some of these attacks may not only cause damage, but also status effects."

"Indeed."

Tom produced a Pokeball from his bag and held it high towards the sun.

"Pokeball, go!" he shouted as he threw the device at the stunned Weedle.

The Bug disappeared from sight and got trapped in the ball as it opened up. After some tumbling and a sharp ping, the Pokeball remained motionless; Weedle was caught.

The boy walked over and picked up the ball, grimacing at it.

"I really dislike Bugs," he said plainly.

Gastly started laughing by its master's side and then it flew around in circles again. Tom ignored it.

"Weedle's are an easy catch for novice Trainers because they are one of the fastest evolving species in the world," said Alicia all of a sudden.

Tom was debating whether or not he should consider this important. Because of his natural hatred for bugs, he had no intention of keeping the creature with him on his journey. Instead, he saw Weedle as a mere test for his catching skills.

"Weedle, come out," said Tom as he tossed the ball onto the ground.

The hairy-bug popped out and began to squirm around in the grass before picking itself up. Weedle glanced up at Tom blankly while Tom returned with a frown.

"You're free to go. I don't want you," he said harshly.

With that, the boy returned Gastly to its Pokeball and walked off in the opposite direction of Weedle. The Bug Pokemon sat there in the grass for a few moments before squirming off into the trees.

"Why did you release your Weedle back into the wild Thomas?" asked Alicia.

The way she said it made her seem like she was concerned, which was odd considering her stated function was to give out information on the Pokemon world. Tom took no notice of this.

"Like I said, I don't want it," he replied. "I dislike bugs with a passion. Besides, it's not like I'm going to the Pokemon League or anything."

"You're... not?"

The boy stopped walking, realizing that he still hadn't told Alicia about his true journey. Thomas had no intention of joining the League or challenging the Elite Four. His purpose was true to him from the very beginning: get to Cinnabar Island and regenerate the fossil. If Alicia's function was to help Pokemon Trainers striving for fame and glory, what would she say if she found out he wasn't a real Trainer? What would she say if she found out his Pokedex was stolen, as well as his starter Pokemon? Tom had a real knack for lying to his associates.

"Err, sure I am," he spat hastily as he began to walk again. "I meant that there is no way I'm going to make it to the League with a weak Pokemon like a Weedle."

"I understand."

She fell for it.

"Thank you."

"But you shouldn't underestimate Pocket Monsters just from how they look on the outside. I can recall one Trainer who made it to the Pokemon League with a team made up of five Jigglypuffs and a Venonat. That was some ten years ago I believe."

"Well that's good for that person."

Tom was thankful that Alicia didn't have physical eyes, otherwise she would have seen him rolling his eyes at her.

"So tell me Alicia, why is it that almost every ten year old child in this region goes off to become a Trainer? Aren't there more important things besides Pokemon training like say, I don't know, school?"

Alicia was hesitant to reply.

"I do not know the answer to that one," she replied plainly.

"Can't you at least give me an educated guess?" pestered Tom as he crouched under a passing branch.

"Hm. Well, it is the responsibility of the parents to decide whether or not their child receives a proper education or not. Reason why they would choose to go on a training journey rather than stay in school is more than likely because the task seems easier and there is the added onus of fame and fortune. However, that path is somewhat more difficult than staying in school because more and more people have signed up for that now in the modern age. Incidentally, it is because of the increasing number of young Trainers that jobs in reality have a much higher pay and are simpler to attain. Does that answer your question, Thomas?"

"A little bit. Thank you anyway."

Tom had the sudden urge to tell Alicia that he never wanted to be a Trainer in the first place, but decided to keep it a secret for now. No, truthfully, Tom wanted to be like his father, one of the head directors at Silph Corporation. Not only would he have a high pay with benefits, but he would be able to accomplish what he had strived for his entire life: he wanted to change the world. Surely that was something no Pokemon Master had ever been successful at.

The boy continued his ways through the forest, ignoring bugs every now and then. Unbeknownst to him, he had passed by some rarities in the trees such as Pinsir, Venomoth, and Butterfree, but again, he took no notice. He wasn't concerned with the different creatures that inhabited the forest, he just wanted to get out of there as quickly as he could.

"You have one new message," said Alicia all of a sudden.

"Oh good," replied Tom sarcastically as he opened up the message on the Pokedex:

_From Your pal Pete_

_Subject: Grand Opening_

_Hey HEY Tommy boy! Just wanna remind you that the lab will be having its first official grand opening in a couple of days. Be sure to send me a reply if you can make it by then. There is still a spot reserved for you here, but hey, if someone beats you to it, I can't help you. Just give me the OK and I'll keep your name down here on the paper. If you have other plans, well, maybe you can drop by another time right? Speaking about dropping by, next time you see your dad, tell him I said hello alright? Talk to ya later kiddo!_

Tom read the short message clenching the red device. Alicia could feel the pressure on her system.

"Hey, don't be so rough," she said as the message disappeared a sad face appeared on screen.

Thomas just gritted his teeth.

"Damn, Pete. He goes and tells me on the phone that I'll be the first one to see it, but then has the nerve to tell me that I'll lose my spot if I don't get there on time. So much for VIP passes," he replied.

"Is there a problem?" asked Alicia.

Tom was having that little dilemma again; he didn't want Alicia to know about his mother.

"Oh, it's just," he started, "I need to get Cinnabar Island in less than seven days. There's a new laboratory opening there that I need to check out. Unfortunately, my cohort who promised me a spot in line is willing to give up my pass to someone else if I'm not there in two days."

"Cinnabar Island is that way," responded Alicia as a pixel arrow pointed south.

"I know."

"If you have any hope of getting there on time, you should turn around."

"I know! But it's across the sea; I don't have a boat or know anyone who owns one."

"You could always fly you know."

"I can't afford a plane ticket. Not when..."

Tom cut himself off as he remembered his dying mother.

"You don't need a plane to fly."

The boy froze and made a face as if he was listening to his Pokedex speak nonsense.

"What?" he asked.

"Some Pokemon are perfectly capable of flying their Trainers anywhere in the local region. If you had a Flying Pokemon, you could get to Cinnabar Island in less than a few hours."

Young Thomas seemed astounded by this. It never even occurred to him that Trainers had practically their own vehicle to use at their disposal. Being without a car, a boat, or a plane, Tom knew that his answer lied in the Pokemon that knew Fly.

"Flying Pokemon..." he muttered. "Yes... that makes so much more sense now. It's genius."

"In theory it would work, however, you are without a Flying Pokemon," said Alicia.

"Well, I'm a Trainer aren't I? It shouldn't be that difficult to bag a monster with wings."

"Only one problem: you need a Gym Badge in order to fly on Pokemon."

Again, Tom was thrown out of his dreamland by the harsh laws of reality.

"Wait, Gym Badge?" he asked.

"Let me explain. In order to join the Pokemon League, one must visit all the cities in the region and defeat the Gym Leader of that city. There are eight Gym Leaders in total. Once defeated, each of the eight Gym Leaders will give you a Badge as proof for your victory. Those Badges are to be used to gain entry to the Pokemon League. Parenthetically, these Badges also permit some additions to Trainers' licenses. For example, winning the Gym Badge in Pewter City will legalize you to use the Hidden Move Flash, an attack that is somewhat too powerful for novices. As such, only those who have won the Badge in Saffron City may fly their Pokemon outside of battle. More or less, if you want to get to Cinnabar Island, you will need at least six Gym Badges."

Tom's eyes were wide as he listened to his Pokedex tell him what he had to do. He never would have guessed he would have to defeat so many Gyms in order to get to the island.

"If what your saying is true," replied Tom, "then that would mean I have about one week to get to the island and back to Viridian City..."

"One week? I thought you said you had two days?"

"Err, right, sorry."

Whoops, almost let it slip again.

"In reality, it is impossible to attain that many Badges in two days," said Alicia.

"Tell me about it."

"I cannot offer you any more advice on your journey to Cinnabar Island. To be frank, I'm out of ideas."

An image of a face sighing appeared on screen.

"Well, if I HAVE to get six Badges in such little time, I guess I'll have to pick up the pace."

Tom began running through the woods as quickly as he could, not quite sure in which direction he was going.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Alicia as she bounced up and down in his breast pocket.

"I am. This is something I have to do," he replied seriously.

The trees were thick and damp; had it not been for the sun overhead, things would have looked very dark in the boy's eyes. After a few minutes of trekking through the vegetation, Tom burst into another clearing of grass.

"Now where do we go?" he asked out loud.

"Just head straight north. We're almost out."

Tom nodded and resumed his running pace, but stopped when he noticed a small Pokemon edge its way into the clearing, blocking his path.

"Weedle?" said Tom as he stared at his released Pokemon.

Indeed, the Weedle that had stumbled into the clearing on the other side was in fact the one he supposedly got rid of.

"I'm detecting multiple signs of life in the area," said Alicia all of a sudden. "Not just plant-life, but bugs. A lot of bugs."

"Weed! Weedle!" cried the hairy-bug as it yelled at its old master.

Tom just stood there blankly.

"Why is it yelling at me?" he asked his Pokedex.

"I'm not sure. Maybe its mad at you for calling it a weak Pokemon?"

Tom didn't reply, thinking that really was the answer to his question.

The Weedle continued screeching as a low humming sound rose from the trees behind it.

"Great. Now, what's that noise?"

"Beedrills," replied Alicia plainly.

"Beedrills?"

The humming noise grew louder, making a more distinct sound. It was buzzing. It sounded as if a whole symphony of insects were calling the boy's name.

"Thomas, I suggest you run," said Alicia seriously.

Tom held his ground and stared at the Weedle.

"I can't run. Time is already short as it is and I'm so close to the exit. I have to see what's coming."

"You don't want to see it."

"I'm not letting that worthless excuse for an insect tell me off."

The buzzing grew louder to an extent where Tom almost had to cover his ears. The sound was not only coming from behind the Weedle but from all around him.

"They have us surrounded," said Alicia.

One by one, large yellow jacket hornets emerged from the trees and hovered near the perimeter of the clearing. The Beedrills each had oval red eyes and two spear-shaped stingers on each arm. In total, there must have been about twenty flying insects.

"These Beedrills must be from the same colony as Weedle," said Tom over the buzzing.

He looked about the clearing to find that he had no escape. The Beedrills had surrounded him and were closing in on his position.

"You should have run."

"Too late now. Gastly! Go!"

Tom threw his Pokeball down in front of him, revealing the Ghost type. Gastly's red eyes darted from place to place, noticing each and every insect in the vicinity.

"Gastly, I need you to fight off these Beedrills for me. I need a clear path out of the woods," said Tom.

"I suggest you rethink your plan, Thomas," responded Alicia. "According to my calculations, you have a 0.3% chance of winning this battle. A Gastly at this level versus an army of adult Beedrills is zero competition."

"Zero competition? You just said I have a 0.3% chance of winning!"

"But-"

"I have no choice but to take those odds. Gastly use Lick on the Beedrill straight ahead!"

"Gas!" cried the Pokemon as it charged forward with its tongue out.

The Beedrill it had targeted dodged to the left and socked the Ghost in the face with its stinger. Gastly was thrown back into the clearing, regrouping with its master.

"Gastly Gastly!" it said, realizing that there really were too many bees to take down.

The Beedrill that Gastly attacked charged at Thomas, stingers at the ready.

"Look out!"

Tom jumped out of the way, narrowly dodging the fatal blow.

"Gastly turn invisible now!" shouted the boy.

"Gas!" replied the Pokemon.

Sure enough, the Ghost disappeared into thin air.

"Gastly should be safe if they can't see it," said Tom out loud. "But I can't keep dodging stingers all day."

Another Beedrill charged from its position at the Trainer. Thomas ducked to the ground, the stinger of death flying right over his head.

"You may need a new battle tactic," said Alicia, trying to drown out the constant buzzing noise.

"You may be right," replied Tom. "I'm going to need Gastly. What are Gastly's other attacks?"

"A low level Gastly should know three main attacks: Lick, Night Shade, and Hypnosis."

Tom like the sound of that last one.

He pulled himself to his feet and pointed his finger to nothing in particular.

"Gastly! Use Hypnos- ah!"

One of the Beedrills tackled the boy from the side, causing him to fall on the ground hard.

"Ugh! Gastly where are you!?"

"Gastly!"

The Ghost Pokemon reappeared up over Tom's head; he was staring down at him. Another Beedrill was flying quickly to take out Gastly.

"Gastly, use Hypnosis now!" ordered Tom.

"Gastly!" cried the Pokmon as it let out a series of psionic waves in all directions.

The Beedrills were hit dead on from the attack. One by one they started to fall to the ground; the buzzing was decreasing. Soon, all of the insect Pokemon had fallen victim to the Ghost's sleep attack. Weedle curled up in a ball and began to snore. Tom pulled himself to his feet and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Great job Gastly," he said with relief.

Gastly flew down to Tom's face and began to lick it, causing the boy to fight and push it back.

"Okay, okay! Thank you!"

Gastly pulled away from him and began to spin around in circles. After wiping his face again, Tom dusted himself off.

"0.3% chance my ass," he said to himself. "I won fair and square. These Beedrills didn't stand a chance."

"On the contrary," replied Alicia from his breast pocket. "I said you had a 0.3% chance of winning. Just because you put them to sleep, it doesn't mean you necessarily won."

"Fair enough for me." Tom lobbed a Pokeball onto a nearby Beedrill, catching it instantly. "These things can be pretty powerful. Might as well take one for the road."

"You won't be able to fly on it, you know."

"I know."

"And you said you hated bugs."

"I do. But this one seems too powerful to just leave. Who knows, maybe I'll ditch this one down the road sometimes as well? Come on, Gastly. Let's get out of here."

Gastly faced Tom at the sound if its name, but stopped abruptly in mid-air. It showed the boy a sick face, and after a few seconds, collapsed to the ground.

"Gas... tly..."

"What's wrong with it?" asked the boy as he went over to his Pokemon and knelt down beside it.

Tom picked up the Ghost ball in his hands, cradling it. Gastly was breathing fast and it was coughing as if it had acquired some kind of disease.

"Your Gastly has been poisoned," said Alicia plainly.

"Poison. It must have been from one of the Beedrill stingers. This is not good."

"I estimate you have approximately twenty minutes before the poison faints your Pokemon. In the meantime, I suggest you head north to Pewter City and seek out the Pokemon Center. Stay clear of any wild Pokemon along the way."

Tom looked down at his sick Pokemon. Gastly's half open red eyes locked with his. The boy nodded his head as he pulled out Gastly's Pokeball and returned it.

"I am thankful for what Gastly has done for me," he said as he stood up. "So now, it's time for me to return the favor."

Tom dashed off through the trees again. He glanced back at the sleeping Weedle, but pressed onward. He thought about squashing that little cretin into the dust for what it had done to his Pokemon.

-

**Author's Note:** Like what you read? Then review please! And Merry Christmas!


	6. Confession

Journey to Cinnabar Island

Chapter 6: Confession

Thomas emerged from the Viridian Forest with hardly any scratches on his body. Although, his pant knees were a bit dirty after being pushed down from that Beedrill. It was the middle of the afternoon and the sun the was shining brightly. It was also quite a change of scenery after walking under those shady trees.

Tom trekked onward down a dirt path which led to Pewter City, one of the smaller urban areas in the region. He passed by two young Trainers who were squaring off in a battle near the side of the road. Alicia suggested he take a look, and so he did. The boy stopped in the middle of the road to watch two younger boys, probably just turned 10, battling their Pokemon.

The boy on the left was thin and pale, very similar to Tom's complexion. He had light brown hair and wore shorts that were just over the knees. Unlike Thomas, the boy had glasses on his face. The second boy was more chubbier and tanned. He also had freckles on his face which stretched from one side of his nose all the way to the other. Obviously, these two youngsters were beginners like Tom, however, he still considered himself higher class due to his maturity and intelligence. Indeed, Thomas was a bit of a snob.

"I don't want to watch," he said to his Pokedex. "They are just novices. How am I supposed to learn from them?"

Alicia rolled her eyes in his breast pocket.

"True, they are novices. That's why it makes all the more sense to watch them. It will help you to not make the same mistakes as them," she replied.

Tom commemorated her logic, and so, he decided to spectate for a few minutes.

"Pidgey, use Sand Attack!" cried the pale boy.

His Pidgey, a somewhat scrawny bird like its master, followed suit with the attack by kicking sand into the eyes of the chubby boy's Charmander. The Charmander shielded its eyes, leaving it wide open for attack.

"Charmander, watch out!" said the fat boy.

"Tackle it, Pidgey!"

The bird Pokemon swooped down and rammed into the Fire type, KO-ing it for good. Charmander fell over, swirls spinning in its eyes.

"We did it!" cheered the thin boy as he pet his Pokemon on the head. "Great job, Pidgey!"

The chubby boy returned his Pokemon to its ball.

"That's no fair!" he shouted. "You used a cheap attack!"

It seemed the boy didn't notice that he was yelling in front of a stranger. Tom began clapping his hands, causing the two boys to stare at him. He attempted to make himself look more professional than he actually was.

"Good job," he said as he looked at the pale boy. "That was a great strategy, using the terrain around here to your advantage."

The pale boy with glasses blushed a bit.

"Aw, it was nothing!" he replied embarrassed.

"Humph!"

The chubby boy began to walk off into the Viridian Forest, probably to do some more training. The pale boy glanced at him and then back at Thomas.

"I don't even know that kid," he said. "He just challenged me to a battle when I got out of the forest. He said he was going to mop the floor with me, but I sure showed him!"

The boy put his arm out so that his Pidgey could perch on it.

"Pidgey! Pidgy!" said the Pokemon.

Tom was about to leave without saying anything, but was soon stopped when the boy continued talking to him.

"Hey! Are you a Trainer?" he asked.

Tom glanced back.

"No, I'm not," he lied.

"Then why do you have a Pokedex in your pocket?"

Tom looked down to see Alicia poking out of his coat. Whoops.

"Urm... Because I'm a Trainer."

"You are? But you just said you weren't!"

"Did I? Sorry, my mistake."

"And you know what that means!"

The boy returned his Pidgey to its Pokeball and produced another from his pocket. He started spinning the red and white ball on his index finger as if he were a basketball player. Tom just stared unimpressed.

"Sorry kid, but if its a battle you want, count me out. I have more important things to do," he said as he resumed walking to the city.

"Hey! You can't turn down a challenge! It's against the rules!" shouted the boy.

"The boys right, Thomas," chimed Alicia. "It is proper etiquette for Trainers to accept all challenges that may come their way."

Tom stopped.

"That's the stupidest rule I've ever heard," he told his Pokedex. "Surely that can't apply for ALL scenarios. What if my mother was in the hospital and I had to get there as quickly as I could? Am I supposed to stop for anyone wanting to battle me while she dies alone in a bed?"

The boy clenched his fist, waiting for an answer from Alicia. After a pause, she replied.

"Your mother is not dying, Thomas. Unless she is and you haven't told me yet."

"Hypothetical. I was being hypothetical..."

"Good, then you should have no problem accepting the boy's challenge. Now get over there on the grass and battle."

Tom attempted to think up another excuse.

"But I can't," he persisted. "Gastly's been poisoned. I should hurry to the Pokemon Center right now."

"The poison will wear off in a while. You have time. Why don't you try out your newly caught Beedrill?"

The pale boy gave Tom a weird stare.

"Um, are you alright over there?" he asked.

Tom realized that the boy couldn't see Alicia, so it almost seemed like he was talking to himself. After some contemplating, he gave in.

"Okay, okay. If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get. I need the practice for Pewter City's Gym anyway." Tom took a spot on the grass and pulled out the Pokeball with Beedrill. "I just caught this one a few minutes ago. It's a strong fighter."

The boy with glasses didn't seem to mind.

"You just caught it? That means you don't have as much experience with it. I should have the advantage. Bulbasaur, I choose you!"

The boy tossed a Pokeball onto the grass, revealing a small blue dog-like creature with a green bulb on its back.

"Bulba!" cried Bulbasaur.

"The boy does not know Grass type Pokemon are weak against Bugs. You actually have the advantage," said Alicia.

Tom smirked.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked as he tossed Beedrill up and down in his hand.

"I'm David," replied the boy. "What's yours?"

"Thomas. Call me Thomas. Beedrill, go!"

Tom threw his Pokeball to the ground in front of Bulbasaur. Beedrill popped out, but unlike in the Forest, it did not emit an insect buzzing sound. In actuality, Beedrill was still asleep from the effects of Gastly's Hypnosis. The large sleeping bee wasn't even aware that it had to battle; it was snoring.

Tom slapped himself.

"Argh! I forgot status effects are still active even when they go back into the Pokeball!"

"Fine with me!" said David. "Bulbasaur, use Tackle!"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur backed up and charged head on at Beedrill.

The resulting collision woke up the sleeping Pokemon, but did a moderate amount of damage. Beedrill recovered and flew up out of reach from Bulbasaur.

"Bzzzz!" it sang as its pulsing red eyes glared at its attacker.

"Beedrill! Counter it with Tackle!" ordered Tom.

Beedrill was about to make a move, but stopped in confusion.

"Hey, what's wrong with it?"

"Thomas, Beedrill does not know that attack," said Alicia from his pocket.

"It doesn't? How hard can it be to ram its body into the opponent?"

David gave a small chuckle as he adjusted the glasses on his face.

"Everything okay over there, Tom?" he asked jokingly.

Tom grimaced at his smart remark.

"Yes. Everything is fine," he replied with gritted teeth.

"Beedrills' primary move-set composes of Poison Sting, Twin Needle, and Pin Missile," said Alicia. "You should also note that all three of these attacks are effective against a Grass type like Bulbasaur."

"I'll keep it in mind. Beedrill! Enough fooling around! Use your Poison Sting!"

Beedrill gave a nod and started to dive bomb the opponent with its two lance-like stingers. Bulbasaur tried to dodge, but failed as it was hit directly in the head. Beedrill retreated back to the sky to see the fruits of its efforts. Bulbasaur was weak, but it remained standing.

"Hang in there!" said David. "Use Razor Leaf!"

"Bul!"

Dozens of knife-like leaves shot out from the Pokemon's bulb and homed in on Beedrill's position.

"Dodge it, Beedrill!" cried Tom.

Beedrill did its best to avoid being hit, but it was struck several times in the chest and wings. Luckily, the attack only inflicted minimal damage. Beedrill landed on its feet and stood strong.

"Beedrill, use Twin Needle!" shouted Tom.

Beedrill charged forward with both stingers on the Grass Pokemon. It slammed Bulbasaur with its right lance, then its left, and then its right again. Bulbasaur suffered severe damage due to type disadvantage and collapsed to the ground.

"Bulbasaur! No!" cried Dave.

Beedrill cheered and flew up into the sky.

"Game over," said Tom as he pulled out his Pokeball. "Looks like I win."

Beedrill and Bulbasaur were both returned to their Pokeballs. David ran over to Tom with his arm outstretched.

"Wow, Thomas! Great match!" he said as he offered his hand.

Tom was about to leave when he noticed the boy offer a handshake. Hesitantly, he accepted his hand in his.

"Hmph. You should train more. That forest is a nice start."

"Really? Is that where you train?"

"No. But it's a start."

With that, Tom left the boy to himself. He continued onward to Pewter City, the city of grey.

"You know, Thomas," said Alicia. "The only reason why you won was because your Beedrill had a type and level advantage. Your skills as a Trainer did not determine the outcome of the battle."

Tom brushed her off like a fly.

"You may be right. You may be wrong. Personally, I don't give a damn. I just want to move on as quickly as I can. Next time, don't tell me to waste my time with such worthless people."

Although his words were harsh, Alicia did not take them as an insult.

"Just remember to battle every Trainer who comes your way. Doing so otherwise would result in your own humiliation, believe me."

"Again, I don't care. I have more important things to do than to worry about what other people want."

The more he kept leading to it, the more Tom wanted to tell Alicia about his dying mother. However, he forced himself not to talk about it.

Tom never was known for his people skills. He knew how to think on his feet, but when it came to interacting with others, he never understood nor cared about their feelings. To him, people were mere obstacles thrown in his way to slow him down. He could recall several times when kids at his school have asked him to to play ball or even to borrow a pencil. Every response was either a deathly glare or a minute-long speech about how they interfere with his business. Tom only cared about himself and his parents; he didn't see Gastly or Alicia as friends.

"Alicia," started Tom as he walked down the dirt road. "You are a very intelligent Pokedex. However, I don't think Professor Oak could have done anything to you to make you understand the human mind."

It took Alicia a while to respond to Tom's strange statement.

"My only function is to help you on your journey. I shall do so to the fullest of my potential."

"Just my journey huh?" replied Tom unsurprised. "How does that make you different from all the other Pokedexes out there?"

"I beg your pardon, Thomas?"

"Your function is to help me on my 'journey.' Incidentally, that is exactly how all the other Pokedexes are supposed to function. Tell me Alicia, if you serve the same function as your predecessors, why does Oak grant you with the honorable name of 'Pokedex 3000'? Surely you should be able to do more than aid my Pokemon journey. Unless all the programs you showed me before were never on any of the older models, you are nothing more than an updated version of something out of date. You are not 'new' per say. Why are you so special, Alicia?"

"Excuse my answering a question with a question, Thomas," replied Alicia nervously, "but why are you asking me this?"

Tom inhaled deeply and let out a sigh. He felt like he was reasoning with an infant, having to explain the situation in more detail and probably at a slower pace. He didn't mind his Pokedex questioning him; in fact, he kind of liked it. It made him feel like he was the one in charge. But of course, he was the one leading this journey to Cinnabar Island.

"The reason why I'm asking you this, dearest Alicia," said the boy cooly, is because there is far more at stake right now besides a silly title."

"Thomas, I don't understand what you are trying to-"

"I'm not doing this for the fame!"

Tom stopped in the middle of the path and clenched his fists tightly. He realized that it pained him to confess his true intentions to Alicia, but he had no choice. He knew that this journey would be impossible unless he had help. It wasn't what he believed in the beginning, but after the past few events with the Beedrills and David, Tom decided that he needed more from Alicia than her basic knowledge of Pokemon.

"You are not making any sense," said Alicia. "Were you lying to me the whole time? About your goal to become a Pokemon Master? Your goal to collect the Gym Badges? Were you lying to me about your identity?"

Tom closed his eyes content with the fact that Alicia couldn't see him physically from inside his pocket. He tried his hardest not to open them and let the tears run out.

"My name is Thomas Weston. I am a 15 year old boy who moved to Kanto from Johto earlier this year. My mother is sick and is dying in the Viridian City hospital. I have one week to make it to Cinnabar Island so I can extract the data from an ancient Pokemon fossil which I believe holds the key to my mother's life." He took a deep breath and got a hold of himself before continuing on. "So yes, Alicia, I lied to you. I don't want to be a Pokemon Master. I have to collect six Gym Badges so I can obtain a Flying Pokemon. With that Pokemon, I have to Fly to Cinnabar Island to extract the data from the fossil myself. A new update on the schedule informed me that I now have nearly two days before I lose my spot in line. I don't know how long I'll have to wait if I miss my chance there. Do you see now, Alicia? Do you see now why I've been in such a hurry? Why I've rushed past every obstacle in my way? My mother is going to die! and I'm not going to let that happen to her! Not after...after all she's done for me..."

Tom lowered his head, fighting back the tears that tried so desperately to break free from his eyes. He prayed that Alicia would stop asking him questions like an ignorant child.

"You are not on a real Pokemon journey," said Alicia. "You should not have been certified for this license if you had no intention of becoming the very best. Especially since this license is a prototype and the distributors have yet to give out a release date to the public."

"You're not listening to me, Alicia. I am desperate right now. I didn't take you because I was going on a journey, I took you because I needed you. You are the map I need to use in this insane world."

There was a pause here as Alicia contemplated this.

The sky had turned from its bright sunny moos to a dark orange color; it was getting late. In reality, it was almost dinner time. Strangely, it didn't even occur to Tom that he hadn't eaten anything all day.

"You 'took' me?" replied Alicia. "Are you saying that you are not a certified Trainer?"

Uh-oh.

"Erm, no, that's not what I'm saying at all!" lied Tom as he tried to come up with an excuse. "I just meant that I had other options that I could have taken besides you."

"I thought you were kind of suspicious."

"Huh?"

Tom's eyes went wide in fear that Alicia had read him out. Through his past actions and words, his Pokedex had him figured.

"I thought it was suspicious how Professor Oak would give me, a prototype of a state-of-the-art device, to a novice for testing. I thought it was suspicious how a beginner Trainer would choose a Gastly for a starter instead of the regular three that is mandatory for all Trainers. I thought it was suspicious how you carried your Pokemon in a glass cage on wheels instead of a regular Pokeball. Thomas, I have reason to believe that I am stolen property, and you are the culprit."

Tom froze in shock. He never would have guessed his Pokedex to come to that conclusion so quickly. What he thought was a ignorant child, turned out to be a calculative scientist in disguise. His plan to sweet-talk her into helping him on his journey back fired.

"Now hold on," he said defending himself. "You are not stolen property."

"It would explain perfectly why my features have yet to be tested and why you have less experience with Pokemon than an 8 year old child at the academy. You lied to me, Thomas. You lied to your Pokemon, too. I bare no sympathy for you or your dying mother, that is, if she really is dying."

Tears began to return to Tom's eyes as his face flashed with anger and hatred.

"What do you know about my mother!? You're nothing but a worthless piece of scrap metal!"

The boy was losing it now. What had once been careful words of deduction now came out a empty insults.

"I now know for certain you are not a certified Trainer," retorted Alicia calmly. "Your voice, your tongue, the way you treat others around you; you are nothing but a scoundrel and a liar. You should be arrested for your crimes."

"Now you listen to me!" shouted Yom as he pulled Alicia out of his pocket and held it up in front of his face, his other finger pointing dead center at the screen. "I am not going to go back unless I get to that island! Do you understand me!? There is no way! No way that I'll ever be able to show my face in that town again unless I save her!"

"You are not a Trainer. You are a wanted felon. When they catch you, you will be fined for the taking and possible damage of me. Same thing goes with Gastly."

Tom stared at the screen which showed an angry pixel face. He was staring at Alicia.

"No," he replied. "You're wrong. I'm not a thief."

"You cannot admit it. You are too afraid."

What once was a trusted resource now became Tom's worst enemy.

"No..."

"It is my function not to be manipulated by sources of such evil. I cannot give myself away to you any more, Thomas."

"Wait, what are you saying?"

"I'm leaving. I suggest you bring me back to wherever you found me. Release your Gastly and Beedrill into the wild. Do us all a favor. This world has enough evil people, Thomas. We don't need you, a boy only at 15, performing deeds against the law."

Tom was close to crying now.

"Alicia. You can't leave," he said.

"Good-bye, Thomas. May our paths cross again if you return a changed man. Or I should say, a changed boy."

With that, Alicia's face disappeared from view. A closed padlock took its place on the screen. She had not shut down, but gone into lockdown mode, more than likely to protect herself should Tom get the bright idea to tinker with her components. But Tom had no intention of doing that whatsoever. He thought about it yes, but what his Pokedex had told him made him think about his life. Was he really that bad of a kid?

"I'm not a criminal," muttered the boy to himself. "I'm not."

He kept telling himself this out loud, but someone's pounding voice boomed in his head, screaming at him that he was wrong.

"_You are! You are! You are a criminal! You are a bad boy_!"

"I'm not! I'm not bad! I just want to save my mother! I'm not trying to hurt anyone! Leave me alone!"

The boy collapsed on his knees, kicking up dust onto his pants. He slammed his hands over his ears and gritted his teeth hard, as if he was locking himself away just as Alicia had done to him. The Pokedex had fallen from his hands and laid in the dirt in front of him.

"Doesn't anyone care that I'm only trying to help her? Don't they realize that I'm not hurting anyone? I just want to help. That's all I want..."

The boy sniffled and sat there broken. He didn't think it was possible to be torn apart by a machine, but Alicia proved him wrong. But Tom wasn't about to let his tool tell him off, oh no. After wiping away the tears, he glared at the Pokedex in front of him.

"You think I'm going to give up, don't you?" he asked his locked device. "You think I'm just going to call it quits because you insulted me a little. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, Alicia. I'm not going back. I'm going to finish this thing right to the very end. I will prove you wrong! You hear me, Alicia?! I will prove you wrong!"

Tom quickly picked himself up off the ground and collected his fallen Pokedex, making sure to brush the dust off the plating. The padlock remained on the screen.

"I don't care what you think about me," Tom told her. "But I'm not about to let your prototype AI tell me who I am! I'll show you!" His eyes narrowed darkly. "I'll show you."

He slid Alicia into his breast pocket and ran down the dirt path. Pewter City was just a few more kilometers ahead. The orange sun could be seen settling in the trees in the west.

The first leg of Thomas' journey had just begun. He knew it was getting late, and he knew that his Pokemon were weak from the battles they had fought. He decided to take a new approach: Treat his Pokemon with respect. Get them to the Pokemon Center. Maybe work as a team and not deem them irrelevant to his quest. Maybe, just maybe, Alicia would crawl out of her shell to see Tom a changed lad in the future.

What was really weird was that Tom felt bad for what Alicia had told him. It seemed that not only had Thomas been lying to everyone he met on his journey, but also to himself. In truth, Thomas did care about his Pokemon. He cared about Alicia, Professor Oak, hell he even cared about that kid, David. Perhaps he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

-

**Author's Note:** Like what you read? Check out my other stories! Or please review! Thank you for reading!


	7. Interaction

Journey to Cinnabar Island

**Author's Note:** How do you hide a tree? Why, you put it in a forest of course.

-

Chapter 7: Interaction

The Pokemon Center was now where near as big as Tom expected it to be; it may have been because there weren't so many people bustling around as there were in Viridian. In fact, the entire lobby was empty, save for Nurse Joy who was standing behind the counter. Past the front desk, a hall lead down to where patients were resting. On the opposite side of the lobby were two doors, one leading to the restaurant, the other to guest rooms. Thomas, now without the aid of his Pokedex, decided to ask the pink nurse at the desk for assistance.

"Um, excuse me, Miss?" asked the dark-haired boy as he approached the counter.

The nurse looked up from her computer and rose to her feet.

"Oh, hello there, young man," she replied with a small bow. "How may I help you?"

The boy hesitated before pulling out his two Pokeballs and placing them on the desk.

"Could you...um...my Pokemon are tired," he said, lost for words.

Luckily, she understood completely what he wanted and accepted the two red and white balls. She must have been used to new Trainers.

"Right," she responded. "Your Pokemon will stay in our care for the night." Tom was about to reach into his blue backpack and retrieve some Pokedollars, but Nurse Joy stopped him. "Oh, you don't need to pay," she said. "Our services here are free to all Pokemon Trainers, young and elder. You may rent one of our rooms here free of charge."

Tom was astonished at her words. Wasn't this a hospital for Pokemon? Isn't it required that he pay at least some sort of toll at the front? Again, he decided it was just another one of the many luxuries Trainers were given. And again, it reminded him how much he disliked Trainers for living easy lives when his father is working his hardest to earn money.

Indeed, the world was a confusing place.

"How do you guys make money then?" asked Tom as he watched the nurse hand his Pokemon to a Chansey.

"Oh, the government pays for us," replied the nurse as she turned to face him.

"Really? I see..."

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Um, no thanks. I'm fine, thank you."

The boy nodded good-bye and headed for the restaurant; he was hungry. Having eaten nothing all day, Tom was about ready to call it a night after the past few events. But he wasn't complaining; at least he would get a free meal tonight. Entering the large restaurant area, Thomas noticed that there actually were some people here--in fact, he counted 15. It was a pleasant family atmosphere, so he expected the food to be of at least decent quality. He moved over to a lone table in the corner by the window so he could look out at the Pewter City streets. After sitting down, he was immediately greeted by a waitress dressed in red and white.

"Hello there," she said. "What are we having tonight?"

Tom looked up at her as he placed his bag on the floor beside his seat.

"Oh. What do you have?" he replied.

She handed the boy a menu and pulled a small note and pencil up to her face.

"Whatever you fancy you can have," she said, then added, "just as long as its on the menu of course!"

She gave a cute wink at Tom, but he wasn't looking; no, he was much more interested in the various food choices in front of him. He was given a fine selection of pastas, salads, hamburgers, and desserts. Since his favorite food was a classic burger, Thomas felt himself having no other choice.

"I'd like a regular hamburger please," he said. "Hold the cheese. Oh, and fries with a small salad would be great thanks."

"Is that all?"

"Yep."

The waitress collected his menu and winked again.

"Okay, thank you! Your order will be here in a few minutes. Oh, by the way, my name is Katie, in case you didn't notice the name tag."

"I noticed."

"Great! See ya in a bit!"

With that, Katie skipped off towards the kitchen and Tom was left all to his lonesome. He took of his jacket and hung it around the back of his seat, taking out Alicia in the process. He placed the device gently on the table, the lock image still visible on the screen. He ended up staring at the pixel padlock for quite some time, pondering how he would be able to get her to talk to him again. Not that he felt bad for her, but Tom did feel kind of upset for allowing her to get the last word in the argument. Sadly, she was as silent him, for he did not even bother trying to talk to her, thinking that she wouldn't listen anyway. The boy looked up around at the other people sitting in the area. Almost all of them were young Pokemon Trainers, as identified by the Pokedex in their pockets or the Pokeballs on their belts. Tom's head sunk as he remembered about Gastly.

"_I hope the poison wore off_..." he thought as he took as sip of the glass of water in front of him. He swished the clear liquid around in his mouth as he thought more about his Ghost.

"_Red-eyed Gastly. Simon said those weren't even common. No, he said that there was nothing special about it. A defect? What did Alicia say? Something about a happy attitude_?"

The boy stared straight ahead at Katie who was talking with her waitress friends.

"_It was a good thing. No! No, it wasn't like that. She said...people and Pokemon are like the same. Right_?"

Katie glanced at him and smiled, but he made no reaction.

"_People and Pokemon...the same. I've heard Dad say that to me before too. And Oak. Perhaps...what do red eyes usually mean for people_?"

Katie began to walk over to him, strutting ever so slowly.

"_Red eyes. Drugs? No, don't be stupid! Think! Red eyes...red eyes occur in sickness. But Gastly looked perfectly healthy with the way it kept flying in circles. Something else_..."

Katie was standing in front of Tom, her lips moving, but again, Tom took no notice as he stared right past her.

"_Red eyes. Red eyes. People do get red eyes even when they're not sick. And in those kind of scenarios, there is only one true answer! It's_-"

"Hey again!" chimed Katie as she smacked her hand on the table.

Tom snapped out of his deep thought and nearly dropped his glass.

"Oh!" he said startled. "Katie, I didn't see you there."

The boy put his glass down. Katie put her hands behind her back and leaned forward a bit.

"I didn't get your name last time," she said. "Since I told you mine, can you tell me yours?"

Tom found this kind of strange; normally, it didn't make a difference whether or not the waitresses knew the customer's name. In fact, it shouldn't make any difference to her what his name is. Tom thought about lying, but thought again when he saw the look on her young innocent face.

"Thomas. Thomas Weston," he said as he took another sip of water.

Katie smiled at him again, but he was not affected at all.

"Nice to meet you, Thomas. You mind if I call you Tom? Or Tommy?"

"Tom is fine."

"I like Tommy. I think it's cute!"

Okay, now things were getting really weird. Was she trying to flirt with him? Tom wasn't quite sure how the inner mechanisms of the female mind worked, but he was almost certain that this girl wanted more from him than just his spare time.

"Um. No offense, Katie," said Tom as he thought up distraction, "but aren't you supposed to be doing your job?"

"Oh, I am. But all the customers in here are eating. I think you're the only one who hasn't gotten his food yet."

"And...what does that have to do with you doing your job?"

Katie rolled her eyes childishly with a smile.

"Well silly, I can't do my job if no on needs to be served. So until the next person walks in here, I'm free to do what I like." Katie peered down and noticed Alicia lying face up on the table. "Hey! Is that a Pokedex?" she asked as she swiped the red device.

Although it wasn't intentional, Tom flinched as she grabbed it and reacted immediately.

"Put that down," he said seriously as he gave her a straight glare. "That does not belong to you."

Katie began to fiddle with the buttons.

"Oh don't worry, I was a Pokemon Trainer for like a year before I took up waitressing. The food business is so much for fun than running around and catching monsters. Pokemon Centers give good pay, too. Hey, why is there a lock on the screen?" she asked as she showed Tom the pixel padlock.

Tom felt his temper rising but tried to keep himself calmed.

"It's a security system," he replied. "It's designed to help keep other people's grubby fingers off of it. Now give her back to me."

Tom got up and reached for Alicia, but Katie stepped away, completely aware that she was teasing the young Trainer.

"'Her'?" she asked. "What, your Pokedex has a gender? Does she have a name? Maybe you should introduce me."

Now Tom was getting more agitated.

He knew what Kati was up to, but he wasn't about to fall for her feminine tricks. She had the face of an innocent, and she looked mighty cute in that uniform, however the boy knew her kind. He knew she was only a few years older than him. He knew that she was only trying to get his attention. But most of all, he knew she would try to use her way to get something out of him, namely money.

"Please give her back," persisted Tom with his hand out stretched. "If you don't, I will call the manager. Is it part of your policy to annoy your customers?"

Katie took this to offense as she hugged Alicia to her chest and gave a disgusted look.

"Thomas!" she said. "How dare you!"

"How dare you take my Pokedex? Give it here."

Katie stared at his pale hand then at Alicia.

"I was only trying to have some fun, sheesh, don't need to get angry at me..."

She returned the Pokedex to the boy and he grasped it securely in his hands.

"Thank you. Now please, if you may go do your job. After all, that's what you're being payed for."

Tom sat down and drank a gulp of water, purposely ignoring the blonde waitress in front of him.

"Hmph! Fine! Be that way!" replied Katie as she stormed off.

Tom ignored her immaturity and examined his Pokedex for anything like scratches or markings.

"There. You could have been taken away by a stranger. But, lucky for you, I stopped her. Now do you believe I'm a caring person?" he asked Alicia.

Alicia only replied with the still image of the padlock, again showing Tom that she did not want to talk to him. The boy sighed placed her back on the table. Looking up to grab his glass, he was blinded by a flash of white light, causing him to flinch instantly.

"Whoa!" he cried as he knocked his half empty glass of water over.

He rubbed his eyes and looked forward to see a girl around his age crouched by the side of the table with a large camera in front of her eyes.

"Nice one!" she said cheerily. "Now give me more drama!"

She snapped another photo of him, forcing him to cover his eyes in pain.

"Hey stop it!" he said. "What's wrong with you!?"

After gaining control of his sight again, Tom looked up to see the girl looking at the fresh picture she took.

"Hm," she said as she studied the image. "I like it!"

She was about to turn and leave before Thomas grabbed the back collar of her shirt, nearly causing her to lose her balance.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" she cried.

"I want to ask you the same thing!" replied Tom.

The girl broke free and looked at him.

"Sorry, I don't have time to talk right now. I have pictures to take! Yep! Lots of pictures to take!"

Her long brown hair started to bounce around as she hopped up and down excitedly. Tom just smacked himself in the face.

"_How many weirdos are there in this city_?"

"Thank you for letting me take a picture of you!" said the girl with a bow.

"Hold on," replied Tom as he grabbed a napkin and started wiping up the spilt water. "I didn't let you do anything. You just came out of no where and took a picture of me. What kind of person does that without asking? More importantly, what do you plan on doing with those pictures?"

The girl held her camera close and backed off a bit.

"It's a secret," she said defensively. "But I'm glad you asked!" She quickly grabbed a seat from another table and sat herself down across from Tom. She took the camera, which was hanging around her neck by a string, and placed it on the table next to Alicia. "My name is Cecilia," she said with a wave.

Tom just glanced back unimpressed.

"You still didn't answer my question," he said as he put the wet napkin off to the side and set his empty glass up right.

"Oh, right!" replied Cecilia. "I've been going around taking pictures of places, Pokemon, but more importantly...people! I call it: P's of My Life!"

She raised her arms into the air and made a pose while Tom continued to stare back.

"I don't understand," he said, trying to make the conversation sound serious. "Why are you taking pictures of people you don't even know?"

"That's a secret too! But I'll tell you anyway!"

Tom was slightly please that Cecilia was willing to open up so friendly towards him, but the fact that she took a picture of him was still disturbing.

Cecilia pulled a pack of photos out of her bag, spreading them across the table as if they were a deck of cards.

"I'm going around every where taking pictures of everything I can! It's my life's goal!"

She proudly held up several pictures of different people in front of Tom's face. He responded by pushing them away forcefully.

"I understand that," he said impatiently. "But why?"

"Funny you should ask. See, I want to travel around the entire world, visit all the places, and meet all the people! This camera is going to help me accomplish that by keeping all my memories organized!"

Tom glanced at the cube-shaped camera by his Pokedex, observing that it was one of those cameras that have a built-in printer on them.

"Interesting," said Tom, lying beneath his teeth. "But do you mind leaving me out of it? I like to keep a low profile around others, especially when it comes to my personal life."

"Oh, don't worry," replied Cecilia. "I'm not going to show just anyone these pictures. Only those who want to see them can see them, like you!"

Thomas just rolled his eyes.

"Thank you for sharing. Well, just keep my picture away from everyone else's eyes. Got it?"

"Yeah, uh-huh," said Cecilia with a nod. "So, what's your name?"

"Please go away."

"Huh?"

Tom closed his eyes and sighed, trying to make himself look as uninterested in her as he could.

"This Pokemon Center is my rest-stop. If you don't mind, I would like to relax. Now, if you'd please be so kind as to remove your photographs..." he said as he gestured to the pictures without looking at them.

Cecilia collected all the images up hastily and stuffed them back in the bag.

"Oh, I see," she replied. "So are you going to tell me or what?"

"_Sheesh, she can't take a hint can she_?"

Tom opened his eyes and stared at her in the eyes. Cecilia looked back blankly respecting a reply, but got nothing. Upon locking views, the boy had become mesmerized in her face; he could have sworn he'd seen those eyes before. They were a light-green color, very similar to the coloring on the fossil in his backpack. The color reminded him of his journey and why he had come out here in the first place. He didn't need some girl tagging along with him, especially a girl who's hobby was photography. She didn't seem like the type who would train Pokemon for a living, nor did she seem the least bit intelligent academically. In other words, she was just another waste of time, like Katie.

"Can't I enjoy my time alone?" asked Tom annoyed. "You are really starting to bug me."

He didn't feel the least bit sorry for being so frank, but Cecilia didn't take it to offense.

"You seem like a troubled boy," said Cecilia as she stared at him.

Her statement caused Tom's eyes to widen a bit.

"What?" he asked, almost offended.

"You seem troubled," she repeated. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Everything is fine."

Tom felt himself clenching his fists and gritting his teeth just as he had done in his argument with Alicia.

"You're lying. I can tell," persisted Cecilia.

"You don't even know me."

"I could. I mean, if you're having problems, I could help you, you know. I may not look like it, but I'm a part-time miracle worker."

Cecilia winked at him, but Tom made no outward reaction.

"I bet you are," he replied sarcastically. "Look girl-"

"Cecilia."

"Look Cecilia, I'm going to ask you this one more time. Leave me alone."

Their eyes locked again, but this time, Cecilia got the message. She slung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her camera.

"Alright, I understand. But, in case you want to talk...I'm here for you," she said.

"Funny you should say that considering you know absolutely nothing about me."

The long-haired girl expressed a serious look.

"I know that your heart bleeds in sadness. I know that you've endure torture every single day since you've been here. Surely that counts for something."

With that, Cecilia got up and stormed out of the room, not eve bothering to say good-bye or look back. Tom had wanted to call her back, but something inside him stopped him.

"_Don't listen to her. She doesn't know you at all. Just sit back and relax. Everything will be fine_."

Strangely, what Cecilia had said made sense to Thomas. It was almost as if she had read his mind right then and there. He felt violated, but depression was starting to move on its course too. Like an open book, she read him front to back.

"_No. I won't believe that_."

The boy ended up sitting there for a while thinking about what the camera-girl had told him before Katie waltzed up to him with his dinner on a platter.

"Here it is, just like you ordered," she said with glee; she was trying to forget what Thomas had said to her earlier.

It took Tom a few seconds to notice her presence, but he quickly snapped out of his trance.

"Ah, oh...thank you," he replied as the waitress set his burger and salad down.

"You need a refill, Tom?" asked Katie as she gestured to the empty glass. Tom nodded and she refilled his glass with more water. "Anything else?"

"No. No thanks, I'm fine."

"Okay then, enjoy!"

Katie was about to head back to the kitchen, but was topped at the sound of the boy's voice.

"Hey, Katie," he said.

She turned around and glanced at him.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I just..." he said hesitantly. "I just want to say...I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I made you upset before. Please forgive me. Just...try to respect people more. It will be returned to you if you do."

Tom lowered his head, partly out of embarrassment and partly because he didn't want her to see his reaction. He awaited her reply, but was surprised that it had taken her so long to say anything.

"It's okay," she ended up saying. "Don't worry about it, just...just eat your food."

He didn't see that she hadn't looked at him as she said those words. As Tom looked back up, Katie had disappeared, leaving him once again to his lonesome. He wondered why her tone of voice was so slow, but decided to leave it as it was. Silently, Tom ate his meal, occasionally glancing at his Pokedex, and occasionally thinking about what Cecilia had told him.

"_Stupid girl_..."

-

"_In other news, a woman who was taking her dog for a walk near the outskirts of Saffron City claimed she noticed mysterious 'men in black' watching her from a safe distance. She says that she had telephoned the police after confirming the men were following her in the dark. One man, an immigrator from Sinnoh, was caught by the authorities and was apprehended. Apparently, he confessed that he had been working under 'Team Rocket,' an evil cult that was thought to be disband years ago. Police has ordered civilians to keep a sharp lookout for any other suspicious 'men or women in black,' especially around the Saffron and Celadon areas. Whether or not authorities will confirm Team Rocket's return they will not say. However, it has been advised that everything keep their houses locked at all times_..."

Professor Oak sipped on his coffee as he watched the news reporter on the large television.

"So, they came back," he said to himself as he leaned forward a bit on his sofa. "Simon was right."

The professor didn't want to believe it himself, but the fact that Team Rocket members had officially been see skulking around only meant that Giovanni was attempting to make a comeback.

Team Rocket had always been known for their acts of crime, especially Pokemon poaching and kidnapping. They were a relentless group who were thought to have gone extinct after the Elite Four wiped them out. Giovanni's whereabouts had been unknown for the longest time until one man claimed to have seen him in the Sinnoh region recruiting new members. And now he was finally coming back to Kanto to finish what he started: he was searching for Mew, the legendary Psychic. Not only was Mew the most rare Pokemon in the world, but it was also the most powerful, which was why Team Rocket wanted it in the first place.

Several years ago they had attempted to conduct a cloning experiment involving Pokemon fossils. Although there were many failures and mishaps, they had finally managed to create a perfect clone of a Pikachu. However, it was at the peak of their research that Kanto's Champions, the Elite Four, had come and destroyed everything, including the Pikachu. With Giovanni gone, along with the rest of Team Rocket, peace was supposedly returned.

And yet, Oak was sitting there pondering how the infamous group had reformed again in such little time.

"This is ridiculous," said Oak to himself as he placed his mug on the coffee table in front of him.

Just then, the door opened, and Simon Banks walked into the room.

"Hello, professor," he greeted.

Oak nodded at him.

"Simon. How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I just finished cleaning up the pen outside. Did you read my report on the robbery?"

"Yes, I did. I'm impressed with what you had deducted. I still can't believe-"

"I know. Team Rocket has returned to Kanto. I'm sure you've already seen though because its all over the news."

"No," replied Oak, "it's not that. It's one of the suspects you mentioned. The boy."

Simon gave a confused look.

"Huh what? Oh! You mean Thomas?"

"Yes, Thomas."

Simon adjusted his glasses with a serious look.

"Well, sir, I'm sorry to disappoint, but it was Thomas' finger prints that were discovered on the doorknob during the night of the incident. I find it kind of odd though. Thomas is a smart boy. If he was going to rob a place, I would have at least expected him to were gloves to cover the evidence."

Oak stood up and gave the other scientist a glare. Simon made no reaction.

"Thomas is not the thief," said Oak. "I know him. He wouldn't do something so reckless without a legitimate enough reason."

Simon shrugged his shoulders unimpressed.

"Well, maybe he did have a reason. Don't underestimate him because of his age. I've see how he thinks. He can strategize, calculate and estimate like one of our own scientists. There isn't a doubt in my mind that it's him; I might even be considering that Team Rocket has nothing to do with this. But the boy is the perfect suspect for this case: a Gastly and a Pokedex were both stolen from our lab, nothing more, nothing less. Also, his house is empty and-"

"Wait, you broke into his house?"

"Let me finish. Thomas' house is empty; I checked myself. His mother is dying of an unknown illness at the hospital in Viridian City. My hypothesis is: Thomas stole the Gastly because of his previous introduction with the Pokemon. Both of them made some sort of connection when they met for the first time, as it is for all young Pokemon Trainers with their first Pokemon. Likewise, Thomas stole the Pokedex 3000 because of its advanced features. Whether he knew it was a prototype or not is still unknown, but the facts are there and they fall into place perfectly. Now Professor, what were you going to say?"

Oak paused before saying anything. He had been staring at Simon, disgusted at him. He was disgusted because of his lack of faith in Tom. Oak had known Thomas and his parents since their arrival in Pallet, and he knew them all to be kind people. Simon's accusations made Tom seem like a lying scoundrel with no honor at all.

"Do you mean to tell me one of my own scientists--my honorable co-worker--broke into Thomas Weston' house to see if he was there?" asked Oak seriously.

Again, Simon shrugged his shoulders.

"I knocked of course, but no one answered. And before you tell me Tom could have been with his mother, let me say this: I saw Thomas at the hospital as he was about to leave. I drove him back to Pallet Town nearly 48 hours ago and set him to bed myself. So before you accuse me of being inhumane or whatever, let me tell you that I care about the boy as much as you do. However, just because we believe him to be good does not make him innocent. We cannot cover up the law with our status, Oak. Justice needs a purpose, and I'm willing to fulfill it with or without you."

Oak sank down in defeat, realizing that the other scientist had him beat. He fell back onto his couch in the staff lounge, staring back at the TV screen.

"Simon, you may be right," he said slowly. "My God, you may be right."

"Of course," replied Simon adjusting his glasses again.

"But what can I do now?"

Simon came over and sat down next to him, turning the volume down on the remote control.

"Find Thomas. Let him know that his mother wants him back in Pallet Town. Lie if you have to. He just...we cannot leave him alone without showing him that he can do whatever he pleases with no consequence. Oak. Let him know."

Professor Oak looked at his colleague in the eyes, wondering if there was any other way to solve this conflict.

"Maybe we should tell his mother?" he thought out loud.

"No," responded Simon. "She is suffering enough already. The last thing she wants to hear is that her only son has gone missing. You have to tell him to come back. E-mail him. Send a Pokemon. Do whatever it takes to get him back."

Simon rose up and was heading for the exit. Oak stood up too and stopped him before he could leave.

"Wait, Simon. We can't just arrest him. He's only 15 for heaven's sake! If we are like a family to him then surely we can avoid having to sentence him," he said.

Simon did not turn around but kept facing the door.

"Professor, I'm not doing this just for us. I'm concerned about Thomas' safety as much as you are. Don't forget, Thomas has in his possession a valuable item. However, I'm not worried that he will damage the device. As the newspaper says, Giovanni is on the loose. And if he catches Tom, then not only will we lose the Pokedex, but we will lose him too. Professor, I hate to say this, but Team Rockets has returned. And if we don't act quickly, Thomas will be captured. He will be killed."


End file.
